Kindred Spirits
by Northern-Southern Belle
Summary: Elijah Mikaelson buys a castle that is haunted by a ghost named Katherine Pierce who very reluctantly allows him to move in and even take her former spot in the master bedroom while making it very clear she's going to keep an eye on him. Meanwhile, her sister Caroline bonds with Klaus, a first step toward finally having a life away from her sister's shadow. EK and KC ships.
1. A New House

Disclaimer: Only plot and original characters belong to me.

"So, this is the house, is it?" Klaus asked Elijah as his brother brought him into a rundown castle he'd just acquired. "I hope you didn't pay too much for it. It looks like it'll fall apart any minute."

"Well, it's not like I don't have the resources to fix that up," Elijah remarked. "I'll get it set to rights in no time. I've even been told that it's a historic landmark. And that it's haunted as well, but you know I don't take stock in such ridiculous stories. There are no such things as ghosts."

Klaus chuckled. "That's pretty closed-minded coming from a vampire," he said. "You better be careful. Some angry ghost could come and murder you in your sleep."

"It can try," Elijah remarked. "But soon enough, it will learn that any and all efforts toward that end are fruitless." They then encountered a young blonde girl with a load of laundry in her arms. She placed it on the floor to shake Elijah's hand and he saw that she was wearing a red sweater and blue jeans. "Hi," she told him and then turned to face his brother to shake his hand too before turning back to Elijah. "You're Mr. Mikaelson? I'm Caroline Peters. Welcome to your new house."

"Thank you, Caroline," Elijah told her. "I'm glad to be here. And very…honored that you allowed me to purchase your home. I know it's been in your family for a long time and it had to be painful to have to give it up like this."

Caroline shrugged. "I suppose it was, but I never really cared for it. It was my sister Katherine that loved the old place. But after she died in the car accident, I decided that since I didn't want it, there was no use keeping it in my possession."

"But you know that you're more than welcome to stay if you'd like," Elijah told her. "I'm sure there'll be enough room for all of us."

"I was going to suggest we do that," Caroline replied. "I was planning to stay anyway. My reasons are hard to explain and someone as sophisticated as you would probably think they were silly if I tried to explain them."

"Are you haunted by the ghost?" Klaus wanted to know. "Elijah doesn't believe there are any ghosts, but there have to be in a house like this. It's certainly old enough."

Suddenly, Caroline went stiff, muttered, "Oh, no, not again," and collapsed to the floor. As Elijah helped her up, Caroline's blue eyes suddenly snapped open and she slapped his hand away. "My god!" She cried. "What the hell is your problem? You take my house, and now you have the right to touch my sister too? Hands off!"

"What in the hell?" Elijah whispered.

"It's the ghost!" Klaus told him with a smirk. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Really, Niklaus, you are the most ridiculous man," Elijah huffed and squared his shoulders to face Caroline, who seemed to be ill or insane. "Caroline, are you all right?"

"I'm not Caroline," She replied. "I'm her sister. The one she cheated by selling our castle just one month after my death! And to a stuffy, boring person besides! That just makes it worse!"

"Well, I don't know why you feel the need to be so judgmental when you've hardly even gotten the chance to know me," Elijah told her, feeling affronted. "At least tell me your name so I know more about who is hurling so much vitriol at me."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Katherine sassed. "I'm _dead_! Do you want us to go out, get coffee and have a chat?"

"Don't be an idiot!" Elijah replied. "You know very well that we can't do that. You can talk to me here. And I would appreciate it very much if _you_ just talked to me and didn't use your poor sister as a vessel."

"Who are you to call me an idiot, you idiot?" Katherine shot back.

"Your name?" Elijah prompted. "You haven't told me that yet."

"You know my name," Katherine pointed out. "Caroline told you when she was saying stuff about me."

"I know," Elijah replied. "But I'd like to hear it from you, if you don't mind."

"All right," she replied after a long silence. "Katherine. Katherine Peters. Or Katerina Petrova. I go by that too. They Anglicized the name from Petrova when the family came over from Europe. They were displaced after a war or something. And they built this place cause they couldn't give up the good life."

"Well, hello, Miss Peters," Elijah replied, giving a slight bow. "My name is Elijah Mikaelson. May I call you Katherine?"

"No, you may not," Katherine snapped. "Not yet, anyway. I don't know how I feel about you. Just know that I'll be watching."

"If you want to visit with me, you'll do it in your own form, as I said," Elijah told her. "Not possessing your poor sister. Can you do that?"

"Of course," Katherine replied. "The question is not 'Can I do that?", it's 'Do I _want_ to do that?'"

"Well, do you?" Elijah pressed. "I would be very pleased if you did."

"All right," Katherine sighed. "But just know that I'm only doing it because I have a feeling you'll nag me relentlessly if I don't."

"I'm glad we seem to understand one another," Elijah replied. "Thank you."

Katherine then left her sister very suddenly, and when Caroline had come back to consciousness, she found herself resting in Klaus' arms.

"What just happened?" She asked him. "Did my sister pay a visit? Who are you?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Peters," Elijah apologized as both he and Klaus helped her to her feet. "This is my brother, Niklaus. I brought him with me to show him the house. I hope you don't mind."

"No," Caroline shook her head, boldly looking Klaus over. "I don't mind at all. I hope my sister was nice to you. She wasn't too happy when I told her that I was selling the place."

"She made that very clear," Elijah nodded. "I made her promise not to possess you whenever she wants to speak with me. Is that a frequent occurrence?"

"Sadly, yes," Caroline nodded. "She prefers to talk through me instead of facing other people. Her funeral was a nightmare." She then looked at Klaus. "Will you be living here too? There's a nice room next to mine that you could have."

"No, I just came to look," Klaus smiled. "But if it's not too much trouble for you, I might come visit my brother from time to time." He kissed her hand and Caroline let out a goofy laugh. Then, as if she realized how ridiculous she looked, she straightened up and looked at Elijah. "Speaking of rooms, how about I show you yours? Or would you rather pick it out yourself?"

"Just show him where the biggest room is and that's the one he wants," Klaus said and slapped his brother on the back. "Isn't that right, Elijah?"

"That was my plan," Elijah nodded. "If it's no trouble." Then, he noticed Caroline's hesitant expression. "What is it?" He asked. "If you've already taken the master bedroom for yourself, that's all right. I don't want to displace you."

"No, that's not it," Caroline shook her head. "The master bedroom isn't mine. It's my sister's. Or it _was_ hers before she…passed away. I mean, you can take it if you want. I'd be more than happy to show you the way. Just be prepared for more trouble when my sister finds you. Can you handle that?"

"Yes," Elijah assured her. "I most certainly can."

"All right," Caroline nodded. "Good luck!" She led him there and asked him if he needed help settling in.

"No, thank you," Elijah shook his head. "I can handle myself."

"I certainly hope you can," Caroline replied and left to escort Klaus out to his car. "I hope you come back," she said. "I really wouldn't mind seeing you again."

Klaus smiled. "I was thinking the exact same thing," he said, leaning against the door of his red Ferrari. "My brother and your sister will probably be so busy fighting that you'll need some company. You wanna go see a movie or something in a few days?"

"Of course," Caroline smiled. "I would love to."

"Wonderful," Klaus replied. "If you'll just give me your number, I'll call you."

"All right," Caroline nodded and wrote her number on the slip of paper, which Klaus had good reason to make note of, not just because it was her number, but it was Elijah's too.

"Good," Klaus smiled. "I'll see you in a few days. Make careful note about what goes on between our siblings so you can tell me detailed stories when we meet again."

"Oh, of course I will!" Caroline nodded and shut his car door. "I promise I won't forget a thing."

* * *

Elijah had kept Caroline's warning about Katherine not liking having him in her bed at the back of his mind, so that when he woke up suddenly and found her staring at him from a spot next to him on the bed, he was only mildly terrified out of his mind instead of scared to death.

"What in the world are you doing in my bed?" He cried, pulling the covers against his chest. "Do you do this often and intrude in other people's private spaces?"

"I could ask you the same question," Katherine replied dryly. "This is _my_ bed. Did Caroline bring you here? She knows she's not supposed to do that. This is _my_ house! We didn't even have the same father and it was mine who got it built!"

"Why shouldn't Caroline have showed me the room?" Elijah asked. "You're dead! You don't belong here!"

"Let's not split hairs," Katherine replied and crossed her arms. "I know you're a vampire. I saw you feeding. That technically makes you dead too…doesn't it? So if you're dead, you can't really use that as an excuse to throw _me_ out of here, can you? I was here first, and using your logic, I deserve to stay here just as much as you do."

"Fine, you can stay!" Elijah agreed. "Just go away and let me sleep."

"Fine," Katherine huffed. "And by the way, did you notice I did what you asked and appeared in my regular form. I hope you're happy."

He studied her. Other than a vague glow around her body, she looked like a normal (and very pretty) woman with dark eyes, olive skin, and curly brown hair. She was very beautiful and not scary at all, like ghosts were supposed to be. "I like what I see," he got out.

"Of course you do," Katherine replied. "And I suppose you're not so bad yourself. I suppose you'd like to get some sleep now."

Elijah pulled the covers over himself again. "I'd appreciate that, yes."

"Fine," Katherine agreed. "But don't think you won't see me tomorrow."

"I know I will," Elijah replied. "And then I'll be ready for it. Goodnight, Katerina Petrova."

"Good night," Katherine replied, and disappeared before his eyes.


	2. Claiming Territory

"What took you so long to get back?" Katherine asked Elijah as she appeared behind him while he was removing his clothes before bed. "I was lonely here by myself."

"Why?" Elijah asked without turning around. "Couldn't you find someone else to terrorize?"

"No," Katherine shook her head as she came behind him and helped him remove his jacket. "No other people can see me. That was a fun thing for a while, but now that I've experienced having someone see me, it's kind of dull." She began unbuttoning his shirt and felt him shiver. "Sorry," she apologized. "I'm a little cold, aren't I?"

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "Just a little. But I can handle it."

"I'm sure you can," Katherine smirked. She sat on the bed and continued to watch him undress with a smirk on her face.

"Do you mind?" He asked her. "What is so damned fascinating that you need to be here staring like this while I get ready for bed?"

"Well," Katherine reached out and stroked his chest with a cold finger. "I guess I just can't stay away from attractive men. And I bet you're aware of this by now, but you're _very_ attractive."

"Thank you," Elijah replied and tried not to shiver again. "How nice of you to notice." He then climbed into bed and Katherine glared at him. "What?" Elijah asked. "What's the matter with you?"

"Aren't you going to return the compliment that I so graciously paid you?" Katherine asked. "I may be dead but I still have feelings."

"Are you saying that hell didn't provide you with a herd of fawning hangers-on so you escaped and came back up here to bother your sister and anyone else who moves into this house?" Elijah wanted to know.

"Well aren't you a funny man?" Katherine got out, making a face at him. "For your information, I didn't go anywhere after I died. Not hell, not heaven. I've just…I've been here."

"Ah," Elijah nodded. "All right." I have a meeting with a lawyer tomorrow. I need to get sleep now. Good night, Katherine."

"Goodnight," Katherine replied, leaving him so he could fall asleep again, but then pausing to whisper, "I know Caroline told you our last name is Peters, and it is, but I go by Pierce as well. I might tell you why some day, if you're nice to me."

* * *

The next morning, it was Klaus who woke him and Elijah wasn't sure if that was worse than having Katherine appear and disappear at will.

"May I help you?" He asked as he got out of bed and headed to the shower. "What are you doing here so early in the day?"

"Caroline and I have a date tonight," Klaus told him. "I thought there was no harm in beginning it a little early. Plus, I felt the need to see my big brother also."

"If by 'see' you mean 'bother', you're certainly doing that," Elijah informed him.

"Come now, be nice," Klaus chided him. "I really haven't done anything yet."

"Exactly," Elijah nodded. "'Yet' being the operative word."

"And don't worry," Klaus assured him. "I'll be good to Caroline. I wouldn't want to have the ghost on your case. Have you seen her anymore?"

"I have," Elijah nodded. "She's not so bad now. We're getting used to each other."

"And how exactly are you doing that?" Klaus smirked. "Is she making nightly visits to your bed?"

"Well, yes, but not in the way you're thinking," Elijah replied. "She's a ghost. That sort of thing couldn't happen between us."

"Maybe it could, if she were determined enough," Klaus replied. "You don't know."

"She's probably hanging around listening to you and taking in every word you say," Elijah told him, his voice hushed. "Don't give her any ideas."

Klaus looked around and then gave his brother a wink as a soft knock sounded. "Elijah?" Caroline called. "I have some other blankets for you to use when it gets cold. Should I bring them in now, or do you want me to wait?"

"Just a minute, Miss Peters!" Elijah called back. He quickly put on black dress pants and buttoned up a blue striped shirt before opening the door and allowing Caroline entrance. She put the blankets in a stack on his bed and then turned her attention to his brother.

"I know we aren't supposed to be going out until tonight, but…you want a tour of the house?" She asked Klaus and took his hand, gently massaging his palm with her thumb. "I can take you to see all the secret places." Then she whispered in his ear, "There are lots of them."

"All right," Klaus nodded as Caroline pulled him out the door. "Why not?"

Once they were gone, Katherine appeared again. "Am I going to have to worry about your brother?" She asked Elijah. "Caroline's not been in many good relationships, you know. I don't want to see her get hurt again."

"Don't you worry," Elijah assured her as he looked her in the eye. "I'll look out for your sister."

"You better," Katherine told him firmly and waggled a finger in his face. "As for what your brother was saying-"

"No," Elijah interrupted. "We don't need to talk about that. He was just being foolish as always."

"Even so…" Katherine continued and sat on his bed. "Do you really think I'm gonna try and seduce you or whatever?"

"No, of course not," Elijah shook his head. "Like I told my brother, given the fact that you and I are on different physical planes, a relationship would be impractical. Or impossible."

"Not impossible," Katherine replied. "I could find a way to make it work if I thought you deserved it."

Elijah shook his head and laughed. "Did you think this much of yourself when you were alive, or is it just a side effect of dying?"

"No," Katherine shook her head and took a seat on his bed again. "I've always been like this. Does that bother you?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say it bothers me," Elijah shook his head. "But it doesn't exactly endear me to you either."

"Good," Katherine nodded and rattled the windows a bit just because she could. "I'm not trying to endear myself to you, so it's nice to see that you feel nothing for me." She picked up the blankets Caroline had brought in. They were green and clashed magnificently with the red sheets and blankets that covered the bed now. "Why did she bring these in?" Katherine huffed. "They clash with the blankets on the bed now. Couldn't she have picked other ones?"

"I wouldn't begrudge your sister for a thoughtful gesture," Elijah replied. Then he checked his watch, and his eyes widened a little. "I have to go," he said. "I'm almost late for my appointment."

"Don't worry," Katherine told him with a smirk. "I promise not to miss you too much while you're gone."

"Oh, I'm sure you won't," Elijah replied. "You'll probably be too busy looking after your sister."

"You know, that's a good idea," Katherine agreed. "I think I'll go do that." She then disappeared and Elijah showered, dressed again, got in his car, and drove away from the house.

* * *

"Oh, god!" Klaus cried as they made their way along the attic and Caroline hit her head on a low beam. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," she nodded, swaying a little. "I'm fine."

"Maybe we should go back downstairs so you can rest or put ice on that bump or something," Klaus said.

"Like I told you, I'm fine," Caroline repeated. "But…thank you for your concern."

When they reached the main section of the attic, Caroline turned on a single lightbulb, which gently swayed back and forth from the chain where it hung. The room now illuminated, Klaus looked around and noticed centuries' worth of dusty junk lying everywhere, in boxes and on shelves. The dolls especially creeped him out. Some of them didn't have both their eyes and one of them was even lacking a head.

"Marie Antoinette's a bit creepy, I know," Caroline said, picking up the aforementioned doll body in one hand and its blonde porcelain head in the other. "She wasn't always this way. I broke her on accident when I was a child. She was Katherine's. That's how things started going sour between her and me. Her father gave it to her and I broke it."

"I'm sure it wasn't your fault," Klaus replied. "You didn't do it on purpose, did you?"

"No," Caroline shook her head. "Of course I didn't do it on purpose!" Then, she stiffened up again. "Or did she?" Her voice said after a few seconds. "That's up for debate. Of course she always says she didn't, but of course those who commit wrongs never think they're at fault."

"Do you mind, Katherine?" Klaus snapped at the ghost who was now possessing her sister and ruining what had been a very good moment. "Your sister and I are in the middle of something here! Go bother my brother if you have to cause trouble for someone!"

"I would love to," Katherine replied as she brought Caroline to her feet. "But he's gone and I'm _bored_!"

"Go away!" Klaus said firmly, then hissed and bared his fangs at her, which caused Katherine to laugh. "Am I supposed to be scared? I'm dead already, remember? So if you're going to hurt anyone with your fangs and your scariness, it would be my sister, and I'm sure you don't want that."

"Would you just _go_?" Klaus repeated. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"I don't like you," Katherine replied, bringing Caroline very close to him. "You seem like the sort of guy who would hurt my sister badly, and if you do, I'll kill you." She then sent a window flying in Klaus' direction, which he deftly avoided and it went smashing into an old dresser instead.

"You can't hurt me," Klaus replied. "But I promise I'll be good to your sister. I swear."

"You better," Katherine replied firmly. "I'm watching you." She then let Caroline go and she collapsed into Klaus' arms again.

"We always end up like this, don't we?" Caroline asked with a weak chuckle when she opened her eyes. "It's a good thing you're always here to catch me." Then, to his surprise, as she sat up, she leaned forward and kissed him.


	3. Putting It All Out There

After the kiss, Caroline was much more cautious about how she and Klaus interacted. She knew she'd overstepped. That she was going too fast. But in her defense, she hadn't been with many men before. She couldn't even think of _one_. Between her sister being much prettier and more popular, plus Caroline's own ability to talk to spirits giving her a weird reputation, men hadn't really been beating down the doors. So when she and Klaus had been getting close in the attic, she'd kissed him, even though she shouldn't have, as a way to let him know of her interest and be sure that Katherine wouldn't lure him away. Of course, Katherine was occupied with Elijah at the moment, but given her short attention span, that could change at any time. Old habits die hard, even when you're a spirit.

Full of embarrassment at her eagerness, she refused his calls until one day her sister wanted to chat with her without possessing her first.

"What's going on with you?" She asked. "Why hasn't Elijah's brother been around lately? Did he lose interest already?"

"No," Caroline shook her head. "He's still very interested for some reason. I just haven't been answering his calls."

"So you're playing hard to get?" Katherine smirked. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"I'm not doing that either," Caroline shook her head. "You were there when I kissed him, weren't you? Spying like you usually do."

"Well, excuse me for being interested when you finally are getting yourself some semblance of a life," Katherine replied.

"Now that you're dead, I finally get my chance," Caroline shot back.

"So, why aren't you doing anything?" Katherine wanted to know. "He's called and he's called and you're still here alone."

"I'm embarrassed by how eager I was," Caroline confessed. "He probably thinks I'm desperate."

"I'm gonna let that one go," Katherine replied. "It's too easy." She tried to pick up the phone and growled in frustration. "Oh, fuck it!" She cried. "Pick up the damn phone yourself and give him a call. I have no idea why it's so easy to connect with things sometimes and so difficult other times." She stood there and watched Caroline intently until her sister finally picked up the phone and called Klaus.

"Hey, it's Caroline," she said when he answered. "I bet you're wondering why I haven't answered your calls."

"Yes," Klaus nodded. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Caroline assured him. "I just…I was embarrassed about kissing you in the attic and I thought it would make you want to stop seeing me so…that's why I haven't been answering when you call."

"Oh," Klaus said after a pause. "All right. But I _do_ still want to see you. We don't have to kiss. We can just talk."

"That would be a good idea," Caroline agreed. "Cause if you're gonna be in a relationship with me, there are things you have to know. Things that might scare you away."

"I have something like that to tell you too," Klaus told her. "Are you busy right now? If you're not, I would love to take you to lunch."

"And I'd love to go!" Caroline replied. "Where do you live? I'll come and pick you up."

"Oh, don't be silly," Klaus laughed. "Why don't I come and pick _you_ up?"

"Okay," Caroline nodded. "I'll be waiting for you." She ended the call and Katherine smiled. "Well, look who's got a date? I'm proud." She looked at Caroline's jeans and t-shirt. "You might want to change, though. Or at the very least, brush your hair or something."

"All right, I will," Caroline said. "But I have to hurry."

While she was doing that, Katherine wandered off in search of Elijah, and heard him in the library. She drifted through the door and he let out a cry of shock and dropped all the paint samples he was holding.

"What was that about?" Katherine asked, trying not to laugh. "Am I really that scary?"

"No," Elijah replied, looking down at the floor so she wouldn't see his flush of embarrassment. "I just didn't expect you to suddenly show up like that. I was surprised."

"I'd help you clean up this mess, but I can't," Katherine told him. "You're not going to repaint my bedroom, are you?"

"Eventually," Elijah replied. "That dark red it's painted now really isn't my color. But lucky for you, I think I'll start here in the library. And don't worry. When I _do_ get around to painting the bedroom, I'll give you fair warning."

"Well, that's friendly," Katherine replied. "Thank you." She then took a long look at the paint colors in his arms and made a card that contained a light shade of green rise above the rest so that it hovered directly in Elijah's line of vision. "Not that you'll listen to me," she said, "but when you paint the library, that's the color I think you should do it in."

"No," Elijah said flatly. "I think not."

Katherine then frowned and the chandelier above Elijah's head began to shake.

"You can cause all the trouble you want," Elijah told her. "I'm not budging."

"You say that now," Katherine said. "But soon you will." She then heard the honk of a car horn outside and went to stare out the window before turning back to her adversary. "Oh, and your brother has come to take my sister out on a date. I hope he's prepared, cause he'll probably get more than he bargained for."

Elijah scoffed. "Don't worry about him," he said. "However much trouble you think your sister is, Klaus is much worse. He can handle her."

"All right," Katherine replied. "If you say so." She then went through a wall and left Elijah alone to continue the banal task of picking a paint color for the library.

* * *

"Thanks for inviting me out with you today," Caroline told Klaus as they parked in the street next to an open air café and sat down at a table. "Despite what my ignoring your calls might mean, I really _do_ want to continue our relationship. We'll just stop it with the kissing and stuff for now."

Klaus nodded. "So…what did you want to tell me? I think you should go first."

Caroline then noticed a ghost in a torn and bloody white dress approach her. "I need you to find my boyfriend," she said. "I need to know why he didn't pick me up the night I died. It made me get run over, you know. I mean, _look_ at my dress!" She gestured wildly. "It didn't start out this way."

"I know and I'll deal with it," Caroline replied, trying to be as subtle as she possibly could. "Now go away. Can't you see I'm on a date?"

"Oh," the ghost looked at Klaus. "Sorry," she apologized and disappeared.

"Who were you talking to?" Klaus asked. "You don't have an imaginary friend, do you?"

"Well, I wouldn't call them _friends_ , but to most people they _are_ imaginary." She put her napkin in her lap and said, "I can see ghosts. Not just my sister. Every single person that's died in a place shows up and wants me to do stuff for them. It's so annoying." She paused and tried to shut out the other spirits who were clamoring for her attention. "You probably think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"Why would I?" Klaus asked. "You talk to ghosts, I'm a vampire…we all have our issues. I don't see why that should stop us from pursuing what we're pursuing. Unless my being a vampire scares you?" He looked at her with challenge in his eyes.

"Please," Caroline smiled and looked at her nails. "After ghosts, vampires are nothing. At least if you, as a vampire, annoy me, I can stake you. With ghosts, I have no way to fight back."

"Actually, my brother and I aren't your typical vampires," Klaus told her. "We're some of the first of our kind, so we're much less vulnerable than others."

"I suppose it would be stupid of me to ask how to bring you down?" Caroline said.

"I'm not telling you that!" Klaus said. "Why would you want to know? I thought we were getting along well."

"We are," Caroline replied and apologized. "I just…I'm so used to being used by ghosts that I automatically want to know how to defend myself against anything that could possibly be threatening."

"Well, you don't have to worry about me," Klaus promised her. "I'm no threat to you."

"Good," Caroline replied. Her stomach grumbled then and Klaus called a waiter over to take their lunch orders, their conversation shifting from vampires and ghosts to more typical stuff like books, art, and the weather.

"The Scream," Caroline told Klaus when he asked what her favorite piece of art was. "Somehow, I really identify with that."

"Yes," Klaus nodded and cut another piece out of his steak. "I bet you do. That's a show of madness if there ever was one. I myself have too many favorite pieces of art to pick just one. It would be very difficult for me."

"Interesting," Caroline smiled. "Are you just an appreciator, or can you actually do it too? I always wish I could paint, but it's not my thing, unfortunately."

"I paint," Klaus nodded. "And I draw. I could do a picture of you sometime."

"Really?" Caroline smiled. "I'd love that." She then laughed. "If you took a photo of me, we could go on record as some of the first people to capture genuine spirits on film. You'd be famous."

"You really want me to do that?" Klaus asked.

"No," Caroline shook her head. "Not really." She cleared her throat. "You told me you wanted me to keep track of our siblings and tell you what's happened."

"Oh, yes," Klaus smiled. "Anything good?"

"Well, she likes keeping him up at night," Caroline replied. "He comes into the kitchen in the morning, pours himself a cup of coffee, takes a couple of sips, and then falls asleep on the table." She paused. "How does eating work with you guys?" She asked. "I thought vampires just drank blood."

"We do," Klaus nodded. "That's the only thing that gives us real nourishment. Other food just tastes good and has about as much health value as candy."

"Ah," Caroline nodded. "Okay. I get it." She giggled then. "I can't wait to see how my sister reacts when your brother begins to remodel. It'll be like _Poltergeist_ all over again."

"Well, if it gets that way, you can come stay in my guest bedroom if you like," Klaus offered. "And don't worry. I won't take advantage of the situation."

"Has anyone died in your house that you know of?" Caroline asked. "I mean, most places have spirits associated with them unless I know for a fact that they're completely new."

"I don't know anything specifically about people dying in my house-" he froze.

"What?" Caroline asked.

"I might have killed some people there," he said apologetically. "You know, drained them of their blood and all that. It's what I do."

"That's all right," Caroline told him. "I'd take you up on the offer anyway. Any number of ghosts are easier to deal with than my sister when she's in a bad mood."

* * *

A couple days later, Katherine was messing with the lights in the living room as Elijah slept. All of a sudden, she heard a car drive up, and then heard the doorbell ring. Feeling a sliver of compassion for Elijah, she let him continue sleeping and opened the door herself, her jaw dropping in shock when she saw a brunette woman in a perfectly tailored suit on the other side. She quickly slammed the door in the woman's face and, as the other woman protested, ran to Elijah's room, threw him out of his bed, and then tapped her foot while she waited for him to get up.

"What is your problem?" He asked, putting a hand on his forehead. "Why couldn't you have just let me sleep?"

"There's a brunette on the doorstep," Katherine replied. "She's dressed really nice. Who is she? When were you planning on telling me about her?"

"Her name is Sophie Stinson, she's my girlfriend, and I had no plans to tell you about her at all, because my relationships are none of your business," Elijah said patiently. He went into the bathroom to brush his hair and then let Sophie in, apologizing profusely.

"I really don't understand," Sophie said in a bewildered voice as she came inside. "The door opened without my even touching it and then it just slammed in my face!"

"That was the ghost," Elijah replied. "She's a little temperamental. Just ignore her. I do. Or at least I try to, anyway."


	4. Setting Ground Rules

"Who is that woman?" Katherine demanded when Elijah came into the kitchen to get himself and Sophie some wine. "She's probably horrible if she's causing you to drink in the middle of the day."

"No," Elijah shook his head without looking at her. "It's not what you think. She's the woman I'm seeing. Don't worry. You'll still be the only person I know with enough power to make me so crazy that I resort to day-drinking."

"So what's she like?" Katherine wanted to know.

"I'm not telling you because it's none of your business," Elijah replied.

"On the contrary, I think it is!" Kathrine cried, causing the windows to rattle. "I think I have a right to know about the other people you're bringing into my house!"

"It's _my_ house," Elijah corrected. "And I can bring anyone I damn well like to visit without getting permission from you!" It was only after he said this that he realized he'd shouted it, which brought Sophie running. "Are you all right?" She asked. "What's going on?"

"Oh, it's nothing you need to worry about," Elijah replied. "The ghost is just causing trouble. She apparently feels that I'm not allowed to have a social life in my own house."

"Well, sometimes it's difficult for spirits to deal with changes," Sophie replied reasonably. "I mean, it's usually after renovations of old buildings and things like that that spirits appear, isn't it? To show displeasure about things that are familiar to them being changed and uprooted?"

"I wouldn't know," Elijah shook his head. "I don't watch things like that like you do."

"Well, then you'll just have to trust me on this," Sophie replied and hustled him out of the kitchen. "You just leave the ghost to me. I can handle this."

"Oh, I don't know if that's such a good idea," Elijah told her. "She already doesn't like you very much. If I leave you alone with her, you could get hurt!"

But Sophie ignored him and began rolling up her sleeves. "Where in the house is she the strongest?" She asked. "Is it here in the kitchen?"

"No," Elijah shook his head. "I think the bedroom would be better."

"Don't you dare let her into our room!" Kathrine cried. "It's none of her fucking business to be in there!" But, in defiance of Katherine's wishes, Elijah let Sophie in the room and Sophie began looking around for something personal of Katherine's to draw her in.

"There's not much left," Elijah said. "Her sister Caroline told me that all of it was sold at an auction. Or if not all of it, most of it."

"Is this bed something she slept in?" Sophie asked. She got in it and lay down, beginning to say an incantation, at least until Katherine levitated a pillow and brought over her face as Katherine smiled. "Yes," She laughed as she watched Sophie struggle to free herself. "Just a little while longer and she'll be dead as I am!" But her fun was ruined when Elijah pulled the pillow off Sophie. "Are you all right?" He asked, taking her in his arms and hugging her as she gasped for breath. "I'm sorry about that. I'm so sorry!"

"It's all right," Sophie replied and coughed. "I think…I think maybe we should wait a bit before we try and call her up. She's clearly not ready to talk yet and I might have pushed too far."

"You think?" Katherine said, getting right up in Sophie's face. "It took me nearly killing you for you to figure that out? And for your information, I'll never talk to you! You can try and summon me all you want, but it's your funeral."

"Why don't you and I go outside and talk?" Elijah suggested, helping Sophie up off the bed. "It'll be safer."

"Yes," Sophie nodded and coughed again. "I agree."

Katherine stayed away while Elijah and Sophie talked, but once she was gone, she materialized to Elijah again. " _Never_ bring her here," she ordered. "I don't want that woman in my house!"

"I've already told you that I'll bring whoever I want here and if you don't like it, that's not my problem," Elijah replied.

"My god, you're not a very good boyfriend, are you?" Katherine asked. "Bringing the woman you supposedly love to a place where you know she'll be in danger just to try and show me up. Are you an idiot or what?"

"No," Elijah shook his head. "I'm just claiming the right to do what _I_ want in _my_ house! Why do you have so much trouble understanding that?"

"I have no problem acknowledging that this is somewhat your space," Katherine replied. "But why can't I make requests about who I do and don't want here?"

"Cause you're a ghost and I'm not," Elijah replied. "End of story."

"Fine," Katherine replied. "But I already tried to kill that woman once. I won't hesitate to do it again. If you care about her at all, at the very least, you'll tell her not to play Ghost Whisperer with me or touch my stuff. I don't want to be helped or sent into the light, or whatever. Especially by someone like her."

"All right," Elijah conceded. "If I ask her not to touch your things or try and speak to you, you'll leave her alone. Is that fair?"

"Okay," Katherine huffed. "I guess I can try that. For you. But if she so much lays a finger on anything of mine, the truce is over and I will do what I want with her short of killing her."

"I'm not going to agree to that, of course, but it's not like I can stop you, can I?" Elijah asked.

"No," Katherine said smugly. "You can't."

* * *

"So..." Caroline told Klaus as he led her inside his house and she saw a spirit in practically every corner, most of them covered in large amounts of blood. "How…how exactly did you know that your house was as haunted as you say it is? You see ghosts too?"

"No," Klaus shook his head. "But I know what I've done, and a violent death usually means that person will be a ghost, right?"

"Not always, but usually," Caroline replied and shivered.

"Are you all right?" Klaus asked, taking a coat of his from the closet and putting it around her. "I didn't think it was that cold in here."

"It's the ghosts," Caroline replied. "You were right when you said there are a lot of them here."

"Sorry about that," Klaus apologized.

"Well, you're a vampire, right?" Caroline asked. "So you're just doing what you do."

"That's so true!" Klaus cried. "No one ever sees it that way. We always come out looking like monsters!"

"I hope you won't be too offended when I tell you that that's how all of these people look at you," Caroline told him, and then turned to face the gazillion spirits who were bearing down on her.

"All right, everyone!" She cried. "I'll need you to back off! I understand that you're here and you have issues, but I can only handle so many at a time. If you'll follow me to the bedroom in an orderly fashion, we'll see what we can do about getting you where you need to be. Do I make myself clear?"

The ghosts seemed surprised, but obedient, and, after taking a deep breath, she brought Klaus into the bedroom with her as each ghost possessed her and gave Klaus a piece of their mind. He, of course, didn't take their comments sitting down, and started a particularly enthusiastic argument with one likening his own feeding habits to humans eating meat and not feelings sorry for the cow, so why should he feel sorry for them. That got him a punch in the face and his head slammed against a wall. Finally, the _long_ list of complaints was worked through, and after the last spirit went on their merry way, Caroline felt immensely drained.

"Are you all right?" Klaus asked. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that. I won't apologize to the ghosts, but I'll apologize to you."

"Oh, it's fine," Caroline replied. "Nothing that hasn't happened to me a million times before. May I have a glass of water?"

"Of course," Klaus nodded. "I'll be back in a minute. He came back with her water, and as she drank it, he said, "You look exhausted. Would you…would you feel comfortable sleeping here if you need to instead of going back home to rest? You know I don't have any more ghosts…at least for the time being."

"Thank you," Caroline replied. "But I wouldn't want to impose."

"It's no trouble," Klaus replied and went to get her some extra blankets. "After what you've been through on my behalf, it's the least I can do."

"Well, all right, then," Caroline smiled. "That's very generous of you. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Klaus replied. He watched her tuck herself in, then told her to have a good rest and let him know when she was up.

"I will," she nodded and shut her eyes as Klaus closed the bedroom door and went to watch some television, for once in blessed silence.


	5. Dead Man's Curve

Elijah took a sip from a blood bag as he sat in the sunny library reading a book. Katherine had been conspicuously absent for several days. So many days in fact, that he was beginning to wonder if she'd left. And if she had, it wouldn't matter. It would be nice to have the house to himself for once.

As if in answer to his thoughts, the pages of his book began flipping faster and faster and then the book flew out of his hand and hit the opposite wall. "So, you're still here," he said dryly as he looked around. "You've been so calm that I was beginning to wonder. I thought you'd left."

"Why would I leave?" Katherine asked as she perched precariously on top of one of the bookshelves. "I'm not leaving my own house."

"Yes, I get it," Elijah told her firmly. "I know it's your house. You don't have to keep saying it every time we see each other."

"I don't know," Katherine said. "I'm not sure you get the message."

"Why not?" Elijah asked. "It's been days since I brought Sophie here because I know you don't like her. I haven't called any priests or ghostbusters to come and evict you. I'd say I understand the message pretty well."

"Oh, all right fine," Katherine replied. "So maybe you do." She disappeared and then reappeared on the chair next to Elijah which made him start. "I just…I wanted to thank you for listening to me about the whole Sophie issue. I appreciate it."

"It's really not a problem," Elijah replied. "If we're going to make this arrangement work, we have to listen to each other. But since Sophie can't come over, I'd like to make a request."

"Okay," Katherine nodded. "But I'm not ready for you to bring any other women here either."

"No, that's not what I mean," Elijah shook his head. "Part of why I brought Sophie over was because I thought she'd be able to tell me your story. You know, how you died and all. I know it would be easier to ask you, but I wasn't sure how willing you'd be to part with that information."

"Oh, and going behind my back and getting it from someone else without my consent is a much better idea!" Katherine scoffed and rolled her eyes."

"If I admit that it wasn't, will you tell me what happened to you?" Elijah asked. "Please? You don't have to tell me the whole story. I just…I would like to know how you died."

"Okay," Katherine nodded. "But you have to tell me how you died too. Or how you became a vampire, or whatever. I'm not just giving something away for nothing. You go first."

"I go first?" Elijah asked, his jaw dropping. "But this was _my_ idea. You go first."

"No one gets to hear anything unless you go first," Katherine replied. "And honestly, I can go on like this all day, so you better start talking."

"Okay, but it's a long and boring story," Elijah replied. "So I'll make it as simple as possible: My brother was killed by werewolves. His death prompted my mother, who was a witch (with strong encouragement from my father) to put a spell on all of us that would turn us into creatures who were faster, stronger, and more deadly than werewolves so none of us would ever be killed by them again. The transformation process was long and horrible. We had to take blood from others to survive, which is standard practice now. For me, it was my wife of the time. That was not pleasant. And then I became a vampire, and that's how I've been for the last thousand years. Your turn!"

"That's all?" Katherine asked, looking very underwhelmed. "Since you're one of the first vampires ever, I was expecting a _much_ better story."

"Well, if it's a good and exciting story you want, talk to my brother," Elijah replied. "He tells it more colorfully than I ever will."

"All right," Katherine replied. "I just might do that."

"I told you my story, and now it's your turn, remember?" Elijah reminded her.

"Yeah, I know!" Katherine replied testily. "I'm just thinking of the best place to start. And if you say 'Start at the beginning', I'm going to hurt you."

"I wasn't, actually," Elijah replied. "You take as long as you need. It was probably a very traumatic experience for you."

"You would know," Katherine replied. "All right, I think I can do this. But you have to listen to every word and you're not allowed to judge me, all right? You seem like the judgey type."

"All right," Elijah agreed. "I promise I won't say a word. Now, at the very least, how did you die?"

"Good," Katherine smiled. "All right. I died…I died in a car accident. On the day I found out I'd gotten the house and everything in Daddy's will (with Caroline getting it if I died), I got really excited and the first thing I did was go to his garage and get one of his cars. Then, I decided that I wanted to show off to my friends. I showed up in the Rolls-Royce to the place where me and some of my girlfriends meet for lunch and they were impressed. We all had a little too much to drink and then I got behind the wheel so I could show them my new castle too. We drove and drove and I did pretty well until the storm came up and it was raining hard, and I couldn't see a thing. I miscalculated where the door to the garage was, drove into the lake instead, and was too hammered to undo my seatbelt, so I drowned. There, you know what happened. Are you happy now?"

"Are you serious?" Elijah wanted to know. "Did you really own this castle for less than a day before you made a bad mistake and died?"

"Yes!" Katherine nodded. "Why do you think I'm so resistant to the idea of living in peace? I've been waiting to live in this house forever! Now that I have it, a stupid thing like dying isn't gonna stop me from living the dream. And you said you wouldn't judge me! It's not like you've never done something stupid in _your_ life."

"But still!" Elijah said. "How do you mess up that badly in only a few hours?"

"Well, not everyone can be as perfect as you, your highness!" Katherine replied. "And just so you know, that car that I died in has been fully restored and it's around here somewhere. I don't really like it anymore, so you can drive it whenever you want and I won't stop you."

"What a generous offer!" Elijah exclaimed. "Did you say it was a Rolls-Royce?"

"You mean you're actually gonna drive it?" Katherine asked. "I don't know what to say!"

"I don't know why you should be saying anything!" Elijah shouted. "You already told me that you hated it and that I had your permission to drive it. So why are you being all mad now?"

"Cause I had a very traumatic thing happen to me in that car," Katherine said. "And out of respect for me, I would think you'd be kind enough to leave it alone."

"Fine, I'll leave it alone," Elijah replied impatiently. "But if you didn't want me driving it, you should have said so."

"Well, I was hoping you'd be sensitive enough that I wouldn't have to, but obviously, you're not," Katherine replied. She led him to his car and gave him directions to the garage where all her father's fancy cars were stored. She led him to the place where the Rolls-Royce was usually stored and stamped her foot, breaking a few windows as she saw that the car was gone. "Damn it!" She yelled. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

"Do you think it was stolen?" Elijah asked. "Should I call the police?"

"No," Katherine shook her head. "I'm not the only one who knows about this garage, remember? Five bucks says my sister stopped by to show your brother the place. Is he a car person?"

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "If it's fast or expensive, he won't hesitate to try and get behind the wheel."

* * *

"I'm surprised you were so eager to drive this one out of all the cars in the garage," Caroline told Klaus. "I mean, it's the one my sister died in!"

"Well, having been in my apartment, you know that it takes more than a spook or two and the prospect of death to frighten me away. This is a very beautiful car." He smiled. "And I get to drive it when I have a very pretty woman in the passenger's seat."

"Oh, you stop!" Caroline giggled.

"If there are any dead people that need your attention, just let me know and I'll be glad to stop," Klaus told her.

"Well, that's good to know," Caroline replied. "But it's day time and we're out in broad daylight. I think we should be all right."

"Good," Klaus nodded. "So…did your sister really die in this car?"

"Yeah," Caroline replied. "She was drunk and drove right into the lake on the estate. I was surprised when they told me, but I don't know why. It's just the thing she'd do."

But then, she convulsed again, and Katherine's words once again came out of her mouth. "What are you doing with this car?" She snapped at Klaus. "I didn't say you could take it!"

"I thought it would be fun to drive!" Klaus replied. "And would you back off? It's not like you're using it! Go back and rattle some dishes or something!"

But he soon ate his words when Katherine had Caroline reach across the seat and grab the wheel with one hand and hit Klaus in the face with the other. The distraction didn't last long, but it was long enough for him to lose control of the car, crash, and cause a ten car pile-up. Klaus, of course, healed from his injuries fast, but as he sat amid the twisted metal and broken glass, he looked down at Caroline's head wound and hoped the ambulances would come before she became a ghost herself, since she was unconscious and unable to ingest his blood, so the hospital was the only thing that could save her now.


	6. Ready To Put Up A Fight

"She has a lot of explaining to do!" Klaus cried angrily as he strode into the castle and confronted his brother. "Ask that spook of yours what she did to Caroline!"

Elijah then called out, "Katherine, we need to talk!"

"And don't think I don't know what about," Katherine told him. "I know what your brother is upset about and really, it's not that bad."

"Not that bad?" Klaus repeated, the veins in his neck throbbing. "How is making your own sister die 'not that bad'?"

Elijah then looked at Katherine in shock. "You've _killed_ your sister?"

"No, I haven't," Katherine assured him. "Your brother's being over dramatic. I just crashed the car and made her unconscious."

"Oh?" Elijah asked. "And that…that somehow makes what you did all right, does it?"

"Well, of course it's not all right," Katherine shook her head and absent-mindedly turned the TV on, switching it to a soap she liked and letting it run. "None of this is all right. But if they had just left well enough alone and stayed out of the car that I died in, none of this would have happened, so really, it's their fault!"

" _Your_ actions are not their fault!" Elijah told her firmly. Then he turned to Klaus. "Is Caroline at the hospital? If you're going then I'll come with you."

"All right," Klaus nodded. "Thank you."

Leaving Katherine behind, they headed to the hospital where Klaus asked the nurse, "How's Caroline doing?"

"She's stable but still unconscious," the nurse told him. "Hopefully she'll be awake in time for your wedding."

"'Wedding'?" Elijah asked, looking at Klaus with wide eyes. "What wedding? Have you actually proposed? Are you out of your mind? Caroline is unconscious! Now is _not_ the time for that sort of thing!"

"Relax, brother," Klaus told him. "Of course I haven't actually proposed. I only said that Caroline and I were engaged so they would let me see her. Otherwise, it was immediate family only. And considering that her immediate family was responsible for her ending up this way, I think Katherine's the last person who should see her, don't you?"

"Yes, you're right, of course," Elijah nodded. They headed into Caroline's hospital room where she say connected to tubes and beeping machines, her eyes closed. Elijah put a hand on Klaus' shoulder as he looked down at her. "Sorry this had to happen, brother," he said.

Klaus shrugged. "Well, it's not like we were that close," he remarked. But Elijah could tell he was just trying to save face. Then, his eyes lit up as he saw Caroline standing in the corner in her hospital gown.

"Klaus?" She asked, sounding confused. "Am I dead? What happened?"

"We were in an accident," Klaus explained to her. "Your sister possessed you, made us crash, and now you're in a coma."

"Lovely," Caroline sighed. "I should have known she'd do something like that before we took the car out." She then looked down at herself. "So…am I a ghost now?"

"Yes," Klaus nodded. "Judging by the way my brother is staring at us, I bet he can't see you, so that means you are, I think."

"Good," Caroline smiled. "What's the use of sticking around here for? What good would that do me? I have a much better idea!" She then disappeared just as Elijah asked him, "Is Caroline here? Is that who you were talking to? Should I leave you two alone?"

"No, that won't be necessary," Klaus shook his head. "Caroline's not here anymore. I think she's gone home."

"Home?" Elijah asked, freezing. "You mean…where Katherine is?"

"Yes," Klaus nodded.

"Oh, hell!" Elijah cried. "I need to go home! Between the two of them, they've probably leveled the place by now!"

"I'm coming too," Klaus told him. "I don't know how you'd do with handling that whole mess on your own."

So they got in the car and they drove to the castle. Elijah parked and looked the exterior of the place over. From the outside, it seemed tranquil, but even as he stood in the driveway, he could hear fighting going on that made him very grateful they didn't have any neighbors nearby. He and Klaus ran inside and Elijah almost fainted at what a mess the place was.

After getting Elijah to sit down, Klaus took control of the situation, striding purposefully from room to room, looking for Caroline and Katherine. Finally, he reached Elijah's bedroom and was met at the door by several of Elijah's toiletries floating in midair, and then, after he cried, "If you two ladies are in here, you really need to stop this," they flew in his direction. Klaus barely avoided being hit by them and they hit the wall and fell to the ground as he stared down at them.

"Well, that was lucky," he told himself. He then took a deep breath and started to make his way into the room again when Caroline appeared in the doorway. "Sorry," she apologized. "I hope I didn't hurt you."

"No," Klaus shook his head. "You missed, but what the hell is going on around here?"

"I thought it was finally time I stood up for myself," Caroline told him. "And naturally, Katherine didn't like that so much, so we're fighting."

"Yes, well, my brother is nearly dead from seeing the mess you made of this place," Klaus told her. "Is there some magical way to clean it up?"

Caroline sucked in her breath. "Sorry," she apologized. "I don't know if that's possible. We're ghosts, not witches. But this'll be a chance for your brother to redecorate. That's something he's okay with. Right?"

"He better be," Klaus nodded. "It's not like he's got another choice."

"Well, would you apologize to him for me?" Caroline asked. "Cause I really didn't intend for things to get as bad as they are."

"I did," Katherine snapped and strode right up to her. "How _dare_ you come in here and act like the boss of everything?"

"Well, you do it," Caroline replied. "So I didn't feel like I was acting out of turn!"

"My father left this place to _me_!" Katherine yelled. "Therefore, I get to decide what happens in it."

"Actually," Caroline corrected, a smirk on her face, "Once you died, it all became mine. You are a guest in _my_ house, and now that we're on the same plane of existence, I'd like to say that I really don't like your attitude!"

"Oh, yeah?" Katherine asked. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Caroline's eyes narrowed and a move of her hand plunged the house into darkness.

"All right," Elijah cried. "What the hell happened now?"

"We're in the middle of a sisterly squabble," Klaus told him as he did the best he could to get back to the kitchen. "They've clearly needed to fight like this for a long time, so I don't think there'll be any stopping them now. We might as well leave, at least for tonight."

"What?" Elijah shouted, his voice full of disbelief. "And let _more_ of the castle I paid good money for become a ruin? I don't think so!"

"And just what do you think you can do to stop it?" Klaus asked. "If you could actually do something to stop the girls from doing what they're doing, I'd be all for you staying, but nothing good can come from that at this point. So why don't you come and stay with me? You can call Sophie, go out to dinner, and then maybe things will be better."

When they got to Klaus', Elijah decided to take his brother's advice and call Sophie, who was more than happy to meet him for a date.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about this, but…how are things going with your ghost?" She asked. "Better? From the look on your face, I'd say not."

"My brother and the ghost's sister decided to take a jaunt in the car that the ghost died in," Elijah replied. "It made her upset, she caused them to crash, and now her sister's in a coma.

"Oh, how sad!" Sophie replied, pushing a bit of her brown hair out of her eyes. "I hope she comes out of it. And it's not a surprise that that happened. Ghosts tend to be territorial about things they were attached to in life, even if those things killed them."

"I figured as much," Elijah told her. "But the strange and troubling thing is that even though she's in a coma, the sister, whose name is Caroline, is now in castle in spirit form just like her sister. They've been fighting ever since it happened. That's why I'm staying with my brother until all the madness dies down."

"That's a smart idea," Sophie told him. "I would offer to let you stay with me, but you've probably had enough trouble with ghosts for now, right?"

"Right," Elijah nodded. "Now, I just need a break from them."

"Well, that's not a problem," Sophie said. "After dinner, would you like to go see a movie?"

"Of course," Elijah nodded. "You can keep me out as late as you want. I really don't mind at all."

* * *

While Elijah was out with Sophie things finally calmed down at the castle. Katherine took a seat on her/Elijah's bed, stared out the window, and then turned her attention to the clock by the bed. "It's past midnight. Where the hell is Elijah? He should be back by now!"

"He left," Caroline replied. "I think you drove him away with all your destructive behavior."

"That scared him off?" Katherine scoffed. "Maybe I shouldn't go after him then. If he can't handle me at my worst, what good is he?" Her eyes narrowed. "I bet he's out with that Sophie. I hate her. I don't know what he sees in her anyway."

"Well, the fact that she's alive could be one thing that attracts him to her," Caroline replied. "And that she has a pleasant personality, and..."

"No one asked your opinion," Katherine sighed. "I want to prove to him that I'm better for him than she is."

"Don't do what I think you're gonna do," Caroline said firmly. "Possessing Sophie will only make things worse."

Katherine turned then, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "Possessing Sophie? I didn't even think about that, but that's a much better plan!"

She then disappeared and Caroline said to herself, "What have I done?"


	7. Getting In The Spirit Of Things

Klaus was half awake when he headed to the bathroom one morning to brush his teeth. As he stared at himself in the mirror, the dimly lit bathroom casting a strange glow on his face, he started violently when his face turned into Caroline's and then turned back again.

Shocked and much more awake than he'd been before, he slipped and hit his head. As he lay there, he heard a voice calling him. He opened his eyes and started again when he saw that Caroline was leaning over him and looking into his eyes.

"I'm so sorry!" She apologized as he struggled to get to his feet. "I just wanted to make sure you were awake this morning. I didn't think you'd get hurt!"

"Well, you did a damn good job waking me up," Klaus remarked. "Please never do it again."

"Sorry," Caroline's voice apologized as Klaus got some coffee and sat down. He was then treated to a couple of blue plates floating around in mid-air. "We are aliens from the planet Mars," came Caroline's disembodied voice as it took on a robotic tone. "We mean no harm to you earthlings. We come in peace." She giggled as the plates fell on the table. "It's amazing how much I make myself laugh," she said, appearing in a chair.

"Yes, you are _hilarious_ ," Klaus replied dryly. "But I'm glad to see you finally enjoying yourself."

"Yeah, you know, I really am," Caroline nodded. "It won't always be at your expense, though. I promise."

"Well, I don't mind being the butt of some harmless little jokes, but _please_ don't pull any more tricks with me and a mirror when I'm half awake," Klaus begged.

"All right," Caroline promised. "I won't do that again. But anything else is free rein, right?"

"Yes," Klaus smiled. "Especially if my brother comes over to visit. Then please feel free to do anything you can think of to him. I need a good laugh."

* * *

That day found Elijah in a chipper mood. He even greeted Katherine civilly even after she switched up the milk in his cereal for orange juice at the last minute so he had to dump the whole bowl in the sink and pour a new one.

"What are _you_ so happy about?" Katherine asked as he sat back down at the table, hummed a few bars of a cheerful tune, and then took a bite of cereal. "Do you have another date with your girlfriend?"

"Of course," Elijah nodded. "What else would make me so happy?"

"I don't know," Katherine shrugged. "But you know, people who get too sucked into their relationships and don't focus on other things become so messed up. I think you would be doing a great service for yourself if you canceled tonight."

"No," Elijah said flatly. "It's not gonna be tonight. It's gonna be-" he broke off as the doorbell rang. "Right now."

"Right now?!" Katherine cried. "It would have been polite to give me some advanced warning since this is my house too!"

"We won't do anything to disrupt whatever nosy ghosts do with their lives, I promise," Elijah told her.

"Does that mean no seances to try and get me to go to the other side?" Katherine asked. "If she tries that with me again, I'm gonna retaliate just like I did last time."

"Okay, okay," Elijah agreed. "No seances. I promise."

"Good," Katherine nodded. "Let's just hope you can keep that promise."

* * *

And to his credit, Elijah really _did_ try. But soon after they'd settled in and Elijah told her the story about Caroline being in the hospital because Katherine had crashed the car, Sophie was wanting to talk to Katherine again.

"I really don't think she is such a good idea," Elijah said quickly as Sophie took his hands. "She's really not a nice ghost and she doesn't like being called up for séances. Who knows what she could do to you?"

"I realize that I am putting myself at risk here," Sophie told him. "But honestly, justice for Caroline is much more important."

"I don't want to say 'No, it's not,' because it's very important," Elijah said. "But Sophie, so is your life!" But Sophie was past listening to reason and was calling Katherine up to talk to her about what she'd done to put Katherine in that coma and why she'd done it. Elijah shut his eyes and just waited for the ax to fall, thinking that if he let go of her hands, something even worse would happen. Not even when Sophie let out a terrible scream did he open his eyes. He opened them at last when everything was silent. But something was wrong. The person whose hands he held had long dark hair. Sophie always wore hers short, but this woman's was long.

"Sophie?" Elijah said cautiously, then cried out as the woman looked up and smiled at him. It was Katherine! "Hello there, handsome!" She cried and gave him a kiss. "Surprised to see me?"

Elijah turned his head to the side and spat, then glared at his formerly ethereal companion. "What the hell have you done?" He asked.

"I've possessed your girlfriend," Katherine replied. "I wanna give her a little more personality. And I _told_ you that if she did any seances to try and talk about what I did to Caroline, there would be consequences. Didn't you explain that to her?"

"I tried," Elijah said. "But she was very insistent. And can you tell me why you look like you and not like Sophie? Whenever you possessed Caroline, she still looked like herself."

"I can decide to make it either way," Katherine explained. "I can let the person at least keep their look, like I've done with Caroline, or I can just take over everything like I've done with your girlfriend so it's like she never existed. In Sophie's case, she's such a busybody that I think she deserved the latter."

"She didn't deserve it!" Elijah replied. "Give her her body back right now!"

"No," Katherine shook her head and leaned forward to kiss him again. "We have to stop meeting like this," she smiled. "Or else people will get suspicious."

"Where are you planning to sleep now that you're, you know, alive again?" Elijah asked.

"Well, I see no harm in you and me sharing a bed," Katherine replied, coming to sit on his lap. "Do you?"

"I assume it would be a waste of breath to reply 'Yes'," Elijah told her. "You have the bed. "I'll sleep somewhere else."

"You say that now," Katherine told him. "But you'll be in bed with me before tomorrow. I know it!"

* * *

While Elijah struggled with newly human Katherine, Klaus continued to have fun with spirit Caroline. They went to a dog park where Caroline excited a bunch of the dogs and sent them running and pulling their owners after them until they all splashed into the pond in the middle of the park and had to climb out soaking wet.

Then they decided to go to a movie, and when the tickets were all sold out for the one they wanted, Caroline sneaked Klaus in, and then appeared on the movie screen as the previews rolled, leaving everyone to run out of the theater screaming. Once the theater had emptied, Klaus picked a seat in the front row and Caroline sat next to him. "How's that for superstar seating?" She asked. "We got front row seats in a movie that was sold out."

"Not only did you get us front row seats," Klaus said as he chuckled. "But we're the only people in this theater."

"Thank goodness I can use my ghost powers to mess with the electricity and stuff cause I think I scared the projectionist away," Caroline remarked. "You think I tried too hard?"

"No, I think you did just fine," Klaus replied. "I'd offer you a drink or something but I don't know-"

"Thanks!" Caroline replied, snatching the soda out of his hand as he wondered how the hell she was drinking it. "And enjoy the movie."


	8. The Tides Have Turned

"Boo!"

Elijah started violently as he woke up to see Katherine standing over him and then bursting out laughing. "I don't understand why you think that's still funny," he huffed. "You've done it a million times and I always react the same. Don't you get bored?"

"No," Katherine shook her head. "Cause you always react the same. When you start reacting differently, _then_ maybe I'll get bored and stop." She paused and giggled. "But probably not."

Elijah huffed and then got up to put a robe on. "At least it was better than yesterday when I woke up and you were actually in bed with me."

"I don't know why you have a problem with that. I found it _very_ enjoyable." Katherine smiled and pushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Oh, yes," Elijah told her dryly. "I'm sure you did." He paused and looked her over. She was wearing some very thin black lingerie. "Don't you want to put a robe on or something?"

"No, thank you," Katherine shook her head, a grin on her lips. "I'm just glad this fits since I changed bodies and all." She grabbed his hand and placed it on her chest, pulling it down so he could feel the soft, floaty fabric. "That feels nice, doesn't it?" She asked.

Elijah tried to control his breathing, but that was made even more difficult when Katherine got up on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss. When she pulled away, she said, "I've been waiting to do that."

Elijah frowned at her and then began spitting. "Don't do that again, please," he said. "This is just…it's too much!"

"Why?" Katherine asked, heading toward him until he was backed up against the wall. "Don't you like me? Don't you think I'm pretty?"

"Well, I suppose you are," Elijah nodded. "Although your personality still needs work."

Katherine laughed again and beeped his nose. "You know, you're really cute," she said and then purposefully sashayed out of the bedroom.

"Oh, my god," Elijah said, taking a deep breath and pushing his hair back. "Stay strong," he told himself. "Stay strong. "That pretty face and body are actually Sophie's and Katherine hides a poison personality."

He got dressed and then went to the kitchen to make himself some toast. At the same time the toast popped up, he felt a hand spank his bottom.

"You're looking good this morning," Katherine remarked, taking his toast out and handing it to him. "Here you go."

"Thank you," Elijah replied dryly. "I think you and I have to have a talk."

"All right," Katherine nodded and sat down. "What sort of a talk?"

"I really think that since you're alive now, we need to set some boundaries," Elijah replied. "First off, you aren't gonna be sleeping in my bed. There are other beds in this house. Use one of them."

"But I'm not good at sleeping alone," Katherine replied. "Have some pity on me."

"Well, I believe that you can't sleep alone, for sure," Elijah replied. "But there's never a better time to start."

"I'm not changing beds because like I told you, it's my bed and I want to sleep in it. It's a big bed. There's enough room for both of us! Can't we compromise?"

"You'd be willing to compromise?" Elijah asked in surprise. "All right. What sort of compromise are you thinking of?"

"Well, I'll do something selfless," Katherine said. "I'll visit my sister at the hospital. I'll even go look for her and convince her to go back to her own body."

"We'll start with going to the hospital and then we'll see," Elijah told her.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Katherine cried. "You can't cheat me and get out of your part of the deal! If I'm gonna go see my sister, I'm going to need something in return!"

"The concept of being selfless is completely lost on you, isn't it?" Elijah asked.

"Oh, come on," Katherine replied. "It's my sister! She deserved what I did to her."

"No, she didn't," Elijah shook his head. "No one deserved what you did to Caroline. We'll be going to the hospital later today and I don't want to hear any arguments. Now be silent and let me eat my toast."

"'Now be silent and let me eat my toast'' Katherine mocked. "You are so weird, you know that?"

"Are you planning on eating?" Elijah wanted to know. "You're not a ghost anymore."

"You're not asking cause you care about me," Katherine said. "You just don't want your girlfriend's body to waste away."

"No, I think you need to eat," Elijah replied patiently. "I don't have to like you to make sure you don't die again. And after you've eaten, that's when we'll go to the hospital."

"So if I don't eat, then we don't go to the hospital?" Katherine asked, a plan forming in her mind.

"You can't hold it off," Elijah told her. "You wait too long and I will force feed you and then drag you to my car."

"Will you really?" Katherine asked and crossed her arms. "Show me. I want to see."

"Oh, all right," Elijah replied, getting her some cereal and actually feeding it to her before taking her hand and pulling her out to the car.

* * *

"How long will we be staying at the hospital?" Katherine asked as they drove. "Not long, I hope. They depress me."

"You will stay until I feel you have made things up to your sister," Elijah replied. Then he asked, "Just because I want to know, what do you think happened to Sophie when you took over her body? Is she gone, or is she haunting the house now, or what?"

"I don't know," Katherine shrugged. "I was so busy taking her over, I didn't pay attention to what happened to her after."

"Of course," Elijah nodded and clutched the steering wheel tightly. "I should have known. You wouldn't pay attention to anything that wasn't about you."

"Well, no one says you can't look around for her," Katherine told him. "I can tell you for sure that I'm alone in this body, so it wouldn't be a surprise to me if Sophie were flying around out there somewhere."

"Thanks for your help," Elijah replied dryly. "I'm so glad I have a solid place to start."

"You're welcome," Kathrine replied. "If you need any more help, let me know."

"Why bother?" Elijah asked. "I know you won't give it to me."

* * *

When they reached the hospital, Elijah had to pull a very resistant Katherine out of the car. "I told you you had to come here with me," he reminded her. "Let's go."

They headed inside and asked the receptionist where Caroline's room was. They went there and found Klaus visiting. He was asleep in the chair by Caroline's bed and when Elijah and Katherine came in, Klaus woke up.

"What are you two doing here?" He asked. "Why would you want to see Caroline? Katherine's the one who got her like this!"

"Well, she came because she's awfully sorry for what happened and she wants to apologize," Elijah replied. He then pushed Katherine forward. "Go on."

Katherine frowned at Elijah and then reached down to take her prone sister's hand. "Caroline, it's me," she said. "I'm sorry that you're like this. I was upset that you took my car, but I shouldn't have hurt you for it. I want you to get better soon." She let her hand go and then everything was still.

"Okay, I apologized," Katherine said, taking Elijah's hand and attempting to pull him out of the hospital room. "Let's go."

"Why don't you let me stay and talk to my brother?" Elijah asked, If you don't want to be here, go down to the cafeteria and I'll meet you there."

Katherine's nose wrinkled. "I don't really like what they have at hospital cafeterias, but anything is better than staying here."

She left and Klaus said to Elijah, "Did you really want to talk to me?"

"Is Caroline around here?" Elijah asked his brother.

"Yes," Caroline nodded. "I'm here. But not for long, though. I have better things to do than stare at my prone body."

"If you're here, why can't you just get in your body?" Elijah asked. "Why be a ghost at all?"

"Because I like it!" Caroline replied. "For once, I have power over my sister. For once, I can do whatever the hell I want! And I'm not ready to give it up yet!"

"What did you do to her?" Elijah asked his brother dryly.

"Nothing that wasn't already there," Klaus shrugged. "I just helped it along a bit." Then Caroline disappeared and Klaus said to his brother, "I have to go. We can talk later."

"All right," Elijah replied. "You know my number."

"Yes," Klaus nodded. "I do."

* * *

He left the hospital and looked around for Caroline, the radio playing until, when it was stopped at a stoplight, the music was disrupted.

"Klaus?" Said a voice full of static. "Klaus, can you hear me? It's Caroline!"

"I hear you, Caroline!" Klaus said. "Where in the hell are you?"

"I'm at home!" Said the static-filled voice again. "And there's another ghost here."

So Klaus drove home and found Caroline standing next to a brunette spirit with short hair. "Sophie?" Klaus asked, his eyes wide. "Why are you here?"

"This is how I ended up with Katherine took my body," Sophie explained. "And Caroline and I have decided to teach Katherine a lesson for that. She's human now. She's vulnerable. And we can do whatever we want." They smirked at each other and Klaus said, "Sounds like a good plan. If you need any help, let me know."


	9. A Night Of Haunting

Sophie and Caroline's vengeance plan against Katherine began slowly but steadily. They did the majority of their plotting at Klaus' so that Katherine would be left in the dark, an arrangement that went surprisingly well and shocked Sophie.

"You don't seem to mind us being here," she remarked. "Most people would be bothered by having ghosts in their apartment."

"Oh, he had lots of them the first time he brought me here," Caroline told her. "I had to do a mass exorcism or whatever and it was just…two ghosts is nothing. And you know he's a vampire, right?"

"Yes, I did know that," Sophie replied. "But that doesn't mean he can't be freaked out by ghosts."

"My dear Sophie," Klaus told her. "I've seen and done so many dark things that it takes _much_ more than one ghost, or even several, to freak me out. Now, what's your plan for Katherine?"

Well, this 'staying away from her' thing is part of it," Sophie said. "We want to lull her into a false sense of security and then pounce on her when she least suspects it."

"And that's it?" Klaus asked, feeling underwhelmed. "That's your whole plan?"

"No!" Sophie shook her head. "Of course that's not the whole plan. What do you think we are? Complete idiots?"

"No, but you're definitely vengeance amateurs," Klaus said.

"Well, fine, if you can do so much better then why don't you show us?" Caroline commanded. "No excuses. Just do it!"

Klaus chuckled. "Oh, I love it when you're bossy," he said with a wink. "Did you know that?"

"No," Caroline shook her head. "Now…what's your plan?"

"Well, let me show you…" Klaus began, sitting down in front of the two spirits as they waited to hear whether or not this plan would be worth their time.

"Let's start it as soon as possible," Klaus said. "It begins tonight, with you two scaring Kathrine out of her mind…"

* * *

Katherine slept fitfully that night, bad dreams disturbing her every time she opened her eyes. She tossed and turned and even though it was not her usual habit, with a sigh, she turned over onto her back, whereupon she was met with the sight of her sister's spirit looming above her with black holes where her eyes should be. Caroline then let out a horrible shriek and Katherine's whole bed shook. Katherine tried to shut her eyes several times, but every time she opened them again, the vision still hung there, refusing to disappear and let her sleep. She threw the blankets over her head and shut her eyes tight while shouting at her sister to leave her be, but that didn't work either. Finally, she swallowed her pride and pushed the covers aside, jumping out of bed and running for Elijah's room as Caroline flew after her, shrieking. When she reached Elijah's door, Katherine knocked with all her might until Elijah opened the door and she threw herself into his arms.

"What in the world is the matter?" He asked. "You're shaking and you look terrified!"

"Well, that's because my sister was just in my room!" Katherine cried as Elijah shut the door behind him and they went to sit on his bed. "She was…she was floating over my head and she didn't have eyeballs and then she made everything shake and…oh, my god, it was just _terrible._ I know I wasn't the best to her when I was a ghost, but I _never_ did anything as bad as that."

"Perhaps she believes you did," Elijah replied, moving some hair out of Katherine's eyes and gently kissing the top of her head. "Maybe this haunting was meant to be some sort of a message to you."

"Maybe," Katherine agreed. "And just so you know, I'm not scared, but…can I sleep with you tonight?"

"If you're not scared, why would you need to?" Elijah asked, "It's okay to admit that you're frightened."

"Oh, no it isn't," Katherine scoffed. "If you think I'm going to go for that, then you obviously don't know me very well."

"And if you're going to have that attitude, you can go back to your haunted room," Elijah told her. "I'm sure you and your sister will make delightful roommates."

"Damn it!" Katherine swore. "Why do you have to make such good points? I'm sorry I said something disrespectful and I won't do it again. Now can I spend the night with you?"

"In the bed?" Elijah asked. "Or on the floor? I just want to make clear what I'm getting myself into."

"Well..." Katherine turned on the light and removed her night shirt, which of course had nothing underneath it. "It's your room so you can choose, but I hope I've made the choice a little easier for you. And besides, you're just the type of heroic man to save innocent women from big scary monsters." She leaned forward to kiss him. "Aren't you?"

"Oh, all right," Elijah replied, letting her in with him and showing that he was only wearing a pair of boxers to bed. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to leave you in here for just _one_ night."

"It won't be just one," Katherine told him confidently as she kissed him again, her fingers going through his hair and pushing him back against the mattress. "You'll never want to be alone again after tonight."

Meanwhile, Caroline was standing outside the closed door and chuckling to herself.

"So…how did it go?" Sophie asked her a few seconds later. "Did you actually manage to frighten your sister?"

"Yeah, I really think I did," Caroline nodded. "You should have seen the look on her face. She was terrified and ran right into Elijah's room." Then she blushed a little. "Sorry," she apologized. "I might have frightened my sister into having sex with your boyfriend. But that was not my intention, I swear."

"Oh, don't beat yourself up too much," Sophie told her. "The point is that Katherine was genuinely frightened. And any concern I might have about her and Elijah, I can take care of that when it's _my_ turn to frighten her."

"But I think that the more we frighten her, the more she'll run to Elijah. Maybe we should re-think this strategy," Caroline said.

"Maybe we should," Sophie agreed, "But for now, let's just take what we can out of this victory and we can regroup tomorrow."

"Okay," Caroline nodded. "I wish ghosts could have cameras. I want to have a picture of how scared Katherine was to show to Klaus. I bet he would be so proud of me."

"You can tell him," Sophie said. "I bet he'll still be up when we get back."

* * *

"So…how did the first night go? Good, bad…okay?" Klaus asked when they returned. "I wanted to hear about how it went before I went to sleep."

"It went good and bad," Caroline replied. "Good because I _do_ think I scared her pretty badly, but bad because after I did that, she ran right into your brother's room and when we left, I think they were having sex. What kind of vengeance is that if she gets rewarded for it?"

"Not very good vengeance," Klaus replied, trying not to laugh at Caroline's indignation. "But give yourself a break. It was your first time doing the whole vengeance thing. It's not going to be perfect."

"Maybe," Caroline replied. "But I don't have forever, you know! If I stay out of my body for too long, then I'll die for real, and I'm not ready for that! A coma and death are not the same thing!"

"That's a good point," Klaus replied. "When are you thinking of going back to your body, anyway?"

"I don't know," Caroline replied. "But right now it's too soon."

"Why are you worrying then?" Klaus asked. "Take your time, do what attempts at vengeance you can, and then, when it's time for you to go back to your own body, you'll go. And vengeance just doesn't have to be when you're a ghost, you know. Now that Katherine is a person, when you're a person again, you can still fight back. Punch her in the face, tell her you don't want to put up with her bullshit anymore, that sort of thing. I'm sure my brother is just as annoyed at her as you are and would be more than happy to help."

"I don't know if he's annoyed with her so much anymore," Caroline replied. "They sounded pretty cozy."

"Whatever," Klaus replied. "Do you get what I'm saying and how even when you go back to your own body, it won't be the end of all this?"

"Yeah," Caroline promised him. "I think I do."


	10. A Day With Katherine

Elijah was awakened one morning by the smell of cinnamon rolls and coffee. That was surprising. Even _more_ surprising was the fact that Katherine was not in bed next to him. Curious, he got up out of bed, put a robe on, and followed the smell to the kitchen.

"Good morning," Katherine greeted him, a smile on her face. "I thought I'd make myself something for breakfast. I hope you don't mind. And you can have some too, if you eat. Do you? Usually vampires don't."

"Yes, sometimes I do," Elijah replied and sat down. "It just depends on what's being offered to me. What inspired you to do this? Ever since your sister gave you that fright, you've been much kinder and more domestic than you used to be."

"Well, I'm a person of many skills," Katherine replied, then frosted the cinnamon rolls and then put them on a plate in the center of the table. "But don't get too excited. These aren't made from scratch."

"It doesn't matter," Elijah assured her and cut one in half. "You still made the effort. That should count for something."

"Aren't you sweet?" Katherine smiled.

"I try to be," Elijah replied and took a bite of the cinnamon roll. "Not bad," he said once he swallowed.

"Good," Katherine nodded. "That's what I was hoping you'd say." She paused. "So…what should we do today? Are you gonna tell me I have to go visit my sister in the hospital?"

"No," Elijah replied, much to her surprise. "I would say you need some time away from your sister by now. Don't you?"

"Do you really think I'm gonna disagree with you?" Kathrine asked. "So…what do we do instead?"

"You pick," Elijah replied. "Have you been dead for a while? There are probably lots of things you missed doing. Am I right?"

"Yes," Katherine nodded. "Will you go on a car ride with me?"

"Will you be driving?" Elijah asked, eyebrow raised.

"Don't look at me like that!" Katherine told him and punched him in the arm. "When I'm sober, I'm a very good driver, I promise. And why are you even worried about crashing anyway? You can't die!"

"Of course not, but that doesn't mean I like to put my life on the line every minute," Elijah said. "That's not sane!"

"Damn!" Katherine smiled. "If I couldn't die like you can't, that's what I would do. Take risks and just flaunt it!"

"I'd have to wonder how long you'd last as a vampire then," Elijah told her dryly. "Because a lot of it is about secrecy. Especially for regular vampires. You go around flaunting your vampire status and that could bring a mob to your door."

"Oh, that wouldn't worry me," Katherine shook her head confidently, her brown curls bouncing on her shoulders. "I'd find a way to manage."

"Well, you better hope you could," Elijah told her. "But, back to your original question, if you let me take the wheel, I would _love_ to go for a drive."

"Oh, all right," Katherine sighed. "If you're gonna be skittish like that, I suppose you can take the wheel, at least to start off with." She gave him a wink and then led him to his car, where he sat in the driver's seat and she took the spot beside him.

"Buckle up your seat belt," he insisted. "That's probably part of the reason why you died. You weren't restrained properly."

"And would you be willing to help me learn how to properly restrain myself?" Katherine asked.

"No," Elijah replied. "Just put on your seat belt. And don't you get tired of saying stuff like that? Can't you show me that there are other parts of you? Like when you cooked breakfast this morning, that was a nice surprise. I want more of that."

"Oh, all right," Katherine smiled. "I suppose I can give you more of that if you want."

"Thank you," Elijah inclined his head. "I would enjoy that. And like I said, even though I'm driving, everything we do on this drive is your choice. So…where are we going first?" Despite his request for her to show him a different side of herself, he was just waiting for her to say "Let's go to a bar," and he was totally prepared for that. But he was surprised when she said, "Do you know of any good places to go dancing?"

"Dancing?" He asked in surprise.

"Yeah, dancing," Katherine smiled. "You've heard of it, right? And I assume you know how to do it?"

"Of course I do," Elijah replied.

And without further comment, he drove her to a dance studio he knew of that allowed people to sit in on their classes and watch. They watched a samba session and a tango session and then, because she thought Elijah would appreciate it, Katherine suggested they watch a session of the waltz too.

* * *

Then, when she felt they'd watched enough, they went to the store to get some recordings suitable for Latin dances and waltzes, and then headed back home and pushed all the furniture to the sides of the large living room, leaving a big open space in the middle. Katherine put a cha-cha song on and they both stumbled through the dance, doing only what they could remember (which wasn't much.) Finally they both just gave up on doing actual steps and did whatever came to mind as they danced around the living room.

"Well, that was fun," Katherine remarked when they finally stopped and collapsed on the sofa. "And some really good exercise too."

"Yes, it was," Elijah nodded. "Although I shudder to think about how badly we failed."

"I can't believe you did," Katherine smiled. "Did you just pretend to be bad to make me feel better?"

"No," Elijah shook his head. "I truly could not remember the steps. My mind was a complete blank. But making up our own was more fun anyway."

Katherine then stood up and said, "Just stay right there. Don't move a muscle." She went and got some paper and a pencil as Elijah tried to remember how he'd been sitting. "Do you draw?"

"I've been trying to," Katherine replied. "It's not exactly my best skill, so I probably will totally mess you up and make you completely hideous. It's a tough thing to do, but I could."

"Now don't you do that," Elijah told her. "I'm sure you're trying your best, and just like with the cinnamon rolls, that's better than nothing. My brother draws really well. Maybe he could help you."

"That could be a good idea," Katherine nodded. "Thanks for it. Now please stop talking so I can draw."

"All right," Elijah said, trying to keep still. "Sorry."

When the picture was finished, Katherine, flushing deeply, came over and handed it to him. "Here it is," she said. "I hope you like it."

"I do," Elijah said, looking it over and smiling at her. "I had no idea I was so handsome."

"Oh, of course you didn't," Katherine said. "I completely believe you. But…thank you anyway."

"You're welcome," Elijah replied and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"What did I do to deserve that?" She wanted to know.

"Should I have done it?" Elijah asked. "I just wanted to tell you what a good time I've been having today."

"Well, I won't fault you for that," Katherine told him. "I've enjoyed myself too. Would you like some wine?"

"I would," Elijah said. "But you can sit. I'll get it."

"How kind," Katherine remarked. "I was thinking white. Is that all right with you?"

"Sure," Elijah nodded. "Whatever you would like."

With glasses of wine in hand, they went out onto the porch and just enjoyed the day.

"You know, sometimes I forget that this place is a castle," Elijah admitted. "To me, it's just a normal house."

"Well, that's cause you don't have help," Katherine replied. "You should get some. You seem like the sort of guy who would have the money for it."

"I thought about that," Elijah replied. "But who in the world can I get to work at a haunted castle?"

"Oh, it's not that hard. I'm sure that there are wacky people out there who would tolerate ghosts for money. Or, you could advertise this as a haunted house and do tours!" Katherine cried, her voice full of excitement. "Think of the money you would make! And I can watch over everything. I have very good business sense."

She looked so excited that Elijah didn't have the heart to refuse her, and even he had to admit that it wasn't a _bad_ idea. "All right," he nodded and patted her leg. "You go make your plans and we'll see what we can do with this."

"Thank you!" Katherine replied and gave him a hug. Then she went inside and shouted at Sophie and her sister, who she still assumed were around even though they'd been blessedly absent for several days, "You two like to scare people, fine. Do it all you want! But now, it'll be making me money!"

 **A/n: this is for my reviewers who mentioned wanting to see another side of Katherine. I hope you like it! And thanks all for reading and reviewing.**


	11. Scary Rich

"And just what is it that you've got it in your head to do now?" Elijah asked Katherine as she worked on her plans to turn the castle into a haunted house attraction. "This isn't some hare-brained scheme that will create a big headache for me, is it?"

"No," Katherine shook her head. "And why does everything always have to be about you? This is as much my house to do things with as it is yours. My sister and that Sophie friend of hers want to haunt the place? They can go ahead. But I'm making money off of it."

"Oh, god," Elijah sighed and sat down next to her. "I know I have no say in this, and even if I did, you would just ignore me, but what is it that you're planning to do, exactly? If you think your sister will be up to putting on a show, I believe you'll be unpleasantly surprised."

"You don't know that," Katherine told him. "She seemed to really enjoy frightening _me._ How will this be any different?"

"I can think of many reasons," Elijah replied. "The most pressing of which is that she has some reason to be antagonistic toward you, which is why she scared you in the first place. The same reasoning doesn't apply to a bunch of random people who pay you to come in here with the idea that they'll be frightened out of their minds."

"Okay, fine," Katherine said. "Why don't we just go _talk_ to my sister and Sophie? Do you know where the hell they are?"

"I would guess they're with my brother, but I can't be sure about that," Elijah told her.

"All right," Katherine replied. "Let's go."

* * *

When they arrived at Klaus' apartment, they found it empty of people, but with one ghost dwelling in the living room, and sitting languidly on the sofa.

"What do you two need?" Sophie asked. "If you're looking for Klaus or Caroline, they're not here. They went to the hospital."

"Why would my sister go with him?" Katherine wanted to know. "Is she having ideas about going back to her own body? Cause it's too early for her to do that now."

"What makes you say that?" Sophie asked. "I thought there was only so long you could be in a coma before things went horribly wrong and you died for real. I think it's the perfect time for her to go back into her own body."

"Actually," Elijah said, "that's what we came to talk with the two of you about. Katherine has an idea to turn the castle into a spook attraction, since both you and Caroline seem to have a fondness for frightening people."

"Is that so?" Sophie asked. "And I suppose that if your sister were to get back into her own body, that would spoil your plans?"

"Well, of course it would!" Katherine told her irritably. "You can't have a haunted house if there's no one to haunt it, now can you?"

"True," Sophie nodded. "But please give me one good reason why I should do something to help you when you tricked me and stole my body just so you could be in a relationship with my boyfriend? Do that and I might just give this dumb haunted house idea of yours a shot."

"I can't believe you actually need to ask this," Katherine scoffed. "You _know_ I died way too early and in a really stupid way. Can you blame me for wanting a do-over? And as for your second complaint, look at him! Look at your boyfriend! Who wouldn't want to take a shot at that?"

"Oh, how nice of you," Elijah remarked. "You've never complimented me out loud before."

"Well, it's true," Katherine told him. "I can't deny it." Then she looked at Sophie again. "My whole life, I've not really had much of a direction. My parents tried all sorts of things to make me have some sort of goal, but nothing ever stuck. Now, I want to do this project, and stick with it for a little while, just to prove to myself that I can start a business and make good money. You understand that, right?"

"Fine," Sophie told her. "We do it for a week, then you give me my body back, and take my place."

"What? No!" Katherine shook her head. "I'm not gonna perform like a trained seal while you make a bunch of money that's supposed to be mine! No deal!"

"Fine," Sophie told her. "No haunted house then. You must not be as passionate about your dream as I thought."

"All right," Katherine huffed. "One week. But do you _really_ want to deal with me as a ghost after you've pissed me off so much?"

"That's a chance I'm willing to take," Sophie told her. "I've dealt with more belligerent spirits than you, trust me. So…we have a deal?"

"Yes," Katherine sighed. "I suppose we have a deal. I can always possess someone else if I need to."

Sophie sighed. That wasn't the outcome she'd been going for when she'd made the deal, but at least it was better than nothing. She gave Katherine a long look, and then headed to the hospital to tell Caroline what she'd done.

* * *

"Excuse me," a nurse said to Klaus as both he and Caroline stood over her bed and watched her body. "I notice you come here to visit her a lot. Are you family?"

"I suppose you could say that since this woman is someone I love and she's got no one else," Klaus replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, as you know, she's been like this for a little bit and if a person is comatose for more than a week, we try and find someone who's capable of making the decision to…pull the plug," the nurse said, her eyes averted for the last three words. "I know it's a hard thing to ask of anyone, but…are you in a fit state to do that if the situation arises?"

"I appreciate your concern," Klaus told her, his tone biting. "But she's going to come out of this. I won't let her just die."

"I realize that you want to have hope," the nurse told him. "But I really see no signs of improvement and-"

Klaus lost his temper and snapped the woman's neck then. "If you want someone to die so badly, I'm glad to give you the opportunity," he told her, a smirk on his lips.

"You didn't have to do that!" Caroline cried as the spirit of the nurse, a stunned look on her face, wandered out of the room. "She wasn't trying to be nasty. She was just doing her job! And she's right: I really have to think about going back to my body soon. This has been fun and all, and I finally got some sort of revenge on Katherine, which is nice, but if I wait too long to go back, then I won't even have the option."

"So what you're saying is that you want to go back now?" Klaus asked. "I'm fine with that. It'll be nice to be able to touch you for real again."

Caroline headed toward her body, and was just about to get there when a voice called out.

"Wait!" It sounded like Sophie.

She turned and saw Sophie, who said, "I know that you probably want to go back to your body by now, but…can you hold it off for a week?"

"Why?" Caroline asked.

"Cause I kind of promised your sister that we'd haunt the castle while she did some sort of crazy ghost tour in exchange for her giving me my body back," Sophie told her. "I'm sorry, but can you blame me?"

"No, I don't blame you," Caroline shook her head. "If I were you, I'd do the same thing. So…what do you know about this haunted house thing?"

"Not a lot," Sophie replied. "I guess Katherine doesn't feel we need to know anything. Just show up and look scary. But maybe Elijah knows and _he'll_ tell us."

"All right," Caroline sighed. "Let's go ask."

"You think there's a place for me in this idea of Katherine's?" Klaus asked, his face full of interest. "I can be plenty scary when I want to be."

"That's true," Caroline replied. "But the point is to scare people, not frighten them to death, and I don't know if you'd be able to stop before we had a whole house full of dead people."

Klaus shrugged. "I suppose that's a fair point.

"How long are we booked for in this thing?" Caroline asked Sophie.

"Just for a week," Sophie told her as they went back to Katherine's and Klaus stayed behind a little longer to look at Caroline's prone, but soon to be pulsing with life, body.

* * *

When Katherine came face to face with the two ghosts, she said to her sister, "Are you helping with this?"

"Of course I am," Caroline replied. "But just for Sophie's sake, not yours. I don't have too much longer before I need to occupy my own body again. At the hospital, one of the nurses asked Klaus if he would pull the plug on me if necessary and that can't be a good thing!"

"You'll get back to your body in time," Katherine told her. "I promise."

* * *

But Caroline wasn't so sure of that when she saw Katherine counting up the money at the end of the first day's tour. It hadn't been hard to get people to come and see the new haunted castle. People had just always assumed it was haunted anyway and, when the news of the change in the castle's ownership had come up, Caroline had fielded calls from people who were panicked about whether or not the tours would continue. She'd promised every caller that once she'd had a talk with the new owner, she'd get back to them, all the while hoping that the tours could keep going because they were a good source of revenue for the place.

"So…how did we do?" Caroline asked, although she was able to figure out the answer from the gleeful look on Katherine's face as she counted the cash. "Good?"

"Very!" Katherine smiled. "Thanks for pulling every trick you have. If this keeps up, I'll need you more than a week!"

"But that goes against the deal!" Caroline cried. "You said we only had to do a week and then you would take over. What about my body, Katherine? Do you want me to be dead for good?"

Katherine sighed. "No, I suppose not. And I'd _really_ be a better draw than you anyway. So you do your week, and then you can get your body back, okay? No more changes on the deal."

"Do you promise?" Caroline asked as Elijah came to congratulate Katherine on how well things had gone. He was playing the role of the haunted house's butler and he looked very dapper in his tux.

"Yes," Katherine insisted. "I promise. You can trust me."

"No, I can't," Caroline replied. "But because this is more for Sophie than for me, I guess I have to. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah," Katherine said as Caroline disappeared and went back to Klaus'. "See you tomorrow."


	12. Sleeping Beauty Awakens

"Where's Caroline?" Katherine asked Elijah. "Have you seen her? We have a big crowd today and they paid to see _two_ ghosts, not just one! If she doesn't show up, people are going to start asking for their money back!"

"You realize that it _is_ one day past the time she told you she would do your show?" Elijah said. "She's probably back at the hospital preparing to take residence in her body again."

"Oh, right," Katherine sighed. "I forgot about that. If that's true, we should probably close down for the day and go visit her."

"That would be very nice," Elijah replied.

Then the phone rang. Katherine picked it up and said, "Hello? She is? We thought that would happen. All right, we'll be over in a little while."

"Was that the hospital?" Elijah asked.

"Yep," Katherine nodded. "And they say Caroline is awake." She then went to tell Sophie what had happened. "So…do you think you could keep the crowds entertained while we're gone?" She asked. "Please? I know you're only one person, but you have skills, right?"

"Not as many skills as you," Sophie told her. "Now that Caroline is in her own body again, I think it's time to start talking about when I'm going to get _mine_ back. I'm not just gonna be your performing monkey for the rest of eternity while you take my place with my boyfriend."

"Do you really think he'll take you back, though?" Katherine asked. "Maybe you should just find some nice boy ghost to be with."

"No, don't you do that!" Sophie shook her head. "It's not right. You go see your sister and then we're going to be talking more when you get back."

Katherine rolled her eyes, went to slip on an even higher pair of black heels, and then she told Elijah that she was ready to go to the hospital if he wanted to come with her.

"I think I do," Elijah said as he looked at her shoes. "I don't know how well you'll be able to drive in those."

"Oh, I can," Katherine smiled. "Just watch me."

"As long as you watch the road, I will," Elijah agreed. "Were you wearing heels like that when you crashed?"

"I was," Katherine nodded as she grabbed the handle of the driver's side door. "But I crashed because I had been drinking, not because my heels are too high."

"Good," Elijah said and got in the car beside her. "That makes me feel so much better."

They then made their way to the hospital, and en route, Elijah got a call from Klaus telling him what he and Katherine already knew: that Caroline was finally out of her coma.

"They called us about that, and Katherine and I are coming to the hospital now to see her," Elijah told him. "Are you there too?"

"Of course," Klaus told him. "I've been here since last night. It was her showing up and saying that she'd decided to go back into her body that woke me up this morning."

"Well, I'm very happy for you," Elijah told him. "Do you think that you and she will continue your relationship now that she's back in her body?"

"Of course we will, brother," Klaus replied. "Why wouldn't we?"

"I don't know," Elijah replied. "I was just curious."

* * *

They reached the hospital and headed to Caroline's room where she was awake and chatting with Klaus, who was sitting on her bed.

"Hi!" Katherine said and gave her sister a hug. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," Caroline replied, surprised by the hug. "How are _you_ feeling? Not that I don't appreciate the hug, but you've never been much of a huggy person. Especially not toward me."

"Well, let's just say that this whole experience of you becoming a ghost and me getting a new life has given me some perspective," Katherine told her. "I want to apologize for all I've done to you over the years, and I hope you can forgive me for it."

"If I hadn't played those tricks on you and made you scared enough to wet yourself, I would find it much harder to forgive you," Caroline told her. "But since I got to have my fun and show you that I can stand up to you and that I'm not just some person to be used as your own private vessel, I'm more than inclined to forgive. I have to make sure of it, though." She looked at Elijah and Klaus took her hand as she asked Elijah, "Do you think she's being sincere?"

"I would like to think that she is," Elijah nodded. Then he looked at Katherine. "Are you?"

"Yes," Katherine nodded. "I am."

"Well then, I have one more request to make of you so you can prove how serious you are about reforming," Caroline told her. "Give Sophie her body back."

"No!" Katherine cried, "I'll do anything in the world _but_ that."

"Why can't you just do that?" Caroline asked. "What is so terrible about being a ghost yourself?"

"Well, if I'm a ghost, then I can't really be with Elijah, can I?" Katherine asked, not looking at Caroline, but at the man that she wanted to be with. "And that's what I want."

"You do?" Elijah asked in surprise. "Katherine, I had no idea!" He paused. "Well, I had _some_ idea. There had to be a reason why you were letting me stay in your house and your bed when you probably would have scared everyone else away. But I never expected you to admit it to my face."

"I'm telling you now," Katherine nodded, taking her in his arms and kissing him. "I know it's not fair of me to keep Sophie's body for so long, but…I don't know how else I'd be able to touch you and kiss you like this. I mean, I would say that I'd be more than happy to wait around for you to die so you could join me in the afterlife, but since you're a vampire, you and I both know that's a very unlikely possibility." She sighed. "You probably think I'm really selfish, don't you? For not only taking your girlfriend's body, but then refusing to give it back so I can be with you myself?"

"Well, to be entirely honest, I can't blame you for what you're feeling," Elijah told her. "This time you and I have had together has made me have feelings for you too."

"It has?" Katherine asked. "Really?" Suddenly, everything seemed to fall away and she forgot that her sister and Klaus were watching her and Elijah talk. "I'm glad. I know I was a pain in the ass as a ghost, but there's more to me than that and I want you to have a chance to see it."

"I'd like that too," Elijah smiled. "There has to be some way we can deal with this that will allow Sophie to have her body back, but keep us together too."

"Oh, I wish there was," Katherine nodded. "Maybe if we just talk things over a bit, we'll come up with something." She then grabbed him and kissed him, her hands running all over his body. He was shocked for a moment and then kissed her back.

Klaus and Caroline watched this go on for a bit and then Caroline cleared her throat and said, "You know, you two, I'm almost done with this bed if you'd like to use it."

Katherine and Elijah pulled apart then and Katherine narrowed her eyes at her sister. "What the fuck did you have to interrupt us for?"

"Well, it was getting a bit uncomfortable to watch," Caroline replied. "Do you usually have a captive audience in situations like these?"

"No," Katherine shook her head. "I'd like to be alone with Elijah now. If you said you were going to go sign release papers, now would be a good time to do it."

"I'll go do that with you," Klaus told her. "Let's leave the lovebirds alone."

They left and then Katherine pulled the curtain around the bed, and then stripped down to her underwear, sitting on the bed and patting the mattress beside her. "You wanna come join me?" She asked with a wink.

"I don't know," Elijah told her, even as he undid his tie. "Someone could come in here any minute and find us."

"I know," Katherine nodded and shook out her hair. "That's really the most thrilling part of all." Not feeling very patient, she undressed him the rest of the way, and then her eyes widened as he smirked, grabbed her, and pushed her back onto the mattress, kissing her deeply as he helped her wiggle out of her panties.

"I thought you were nervous about being caught," she grinned as he broke a kiss to catch his breath. "Apparently, not anymore."

"If anyone comes," Elijah panted, "I'll just send them away." He managed to push in and pull out a couple of times before their thrashing knocked into some sort of machinery, making it beep loudly. As they heard the pounding of feet and the shouting of hospital workers, Elijah got off Katherine and quickly dressed himself before helping Katherine do the same. By the time they were found and Elijah was able to assure everyone that there was nothing to worry about, it was not at all obvious what had just been going on in that bed.

"Well, that was a close one," Katherine breathed as she sat down on the bed. "Kind of a rush, don't you think?"

"I wouldn't like to do it all the time, but I suppose once in a while wouldn't hurt," Elijah told her and kissed her again. "Would you like to go back home? Klaus and Caroline are already there."

"Yeah," Katherine nodded. "Might as well get that talk with Sophie over with."

* * *

Meanwhile, Sophie waited with Klaus and Caroline back at the house, very skeptical about Katherine's promise despite how genuine Caroline told her her sister seemed.

"I know she likes Elijah," Sophie said. "Why would she give up a chance to be with him, even if it's the right thing to do? She doesn't seem like that sort of person."

"I think she's _becoming_ that sort of person," Caroline said. "It won't happen overnight, but I see the beginning of a change."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Sophie told her dryly.

A few minutes later, Katherine called out to Caroline that they were home. "Good," Caroline called back as she leaned against Klaus. "We've been waiting for you." She watched as her sister came in and winced as Sophie wasted no time going after what she wanted.

"Okay," she said to Katherine. "Are you going to give me my body back or not?"

Katherine was silent for a long time and then said, "All right…but I want it for just a little longer."

"Not too much longer, I hope," Sophie said. "I met a man on one of the tours and explained to him what the situation was. He left his address and number and told me that when I got my body back, I should call him. I have a feeling he won't wait forever." She then flushed a little as she looked at Elijah. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No," Elijah shook his head. "As long as you're happy, Sophie, I don't mind at all."

* * *

"Did you manage to reach Klaus?" Katherine asked as Elijah came to join her in bed that night.

"No," Elijah shook his head. "That's the _fifth_ call I've made to him that he hasn't answered. Well, there was the call that was nothing but heavy breathing on the end of the line, but that's hardly an answer. I think that's supposed to be some sort of hint." He looked at her. "What do you think?"

"I think we should just leave them alone," Katherine replied. "This is the first time Klaus has had Caroline in her actual body in ages, so we should just let them make the most of it. And it's the same for us, since I'll be an annoying pile of ectoplasm unable to connect with people soon."

"You're right," Elijah said, running his fingers through her hair as he held her close. "We don't have a lot of time to waste, do we?" Then he kissed her and pushed her back against the mattress, pulling the sheets over both of them as Katherine threw her arms around his neck and he slipped inside her.


	13. Brought Back To Life

"So today is the day," Katherine said to Elijah as they lay in bed. "Today's the day I have to give Sophie her body back. Can we at least figure out something to do with me before it happens? I _really_ don't want to be a ghost again. I mean, I would be more amenable to it if I knew that I'd only have to wait however long it took until you died and we were reunited, but…since you're a vampire, I'll be waiting until doomsday, right?"

"Yes, sadly," Elijah nodded. "Although, I suppose if you really _are_ serious about us being a couple and you're not just using me as an excuse to get your life back, I might have a way."

"You have?" Katherine asked, bouncing a little, her eyes bright. "What is it? Do I get to keep Sophie's body?"

"No, you don't," Elijah shook his head. "A promise is a promise and you're going to give her body back to her."

"But then what other choice do I have?" Katherine wanted to know. "Are we gonna find some other poor schmuck for me to possess? Is that it?"

"No, it's not," Elijah shook his head again. "I happen to have a friend who's a warlock, so with his help, we can get your body back to you and you can inhabit that once we dig it up and fix it up a little."

"Seriously?" Katherine asked. "Will you be doing any digging, or are you gonna hire other people to do it for you? Cause if I'm really gonna be honest, I wouldn't mind seeing you dig. You got all these muscles. Why not show them off?" She ran her hands over his arms and gave him a look. "Come on," she encouraged. "You know you want to."

"No, I think _you_ want me to," Elijah replied. Then, he paused. "But if this exchange with Sophie goes well, I might think about it," he conceded. "That's just a little something to keep in mind."

"Oh, I will," Katherine nodded as she got out of bed. "It's not something I think I can forget." She put a robe on and made her way to the bedroom door. Just as she put her hand on the door handle, however, Elijah clicked his tongue. "What?" She asked. "Do you not want me to leave yet? You wanna spend a little more time in bed before that's not an option for the small window of time before we get my body back?" With a grin, she strode back to him and kissed him.

Elijah kissed her back, but then shook his head. "That's not what I meant," he told her. "I think you should shower and dress now so that Sophie's body's in good shape when she gets it back."

"Oh, all right," Katherine rolled her eyes. "You wanna come in with me?"

"No," Elijah shook his head. "This isn't a fun shower, it's a business shower. I don't know how much time we have until Sophie wants to do the exchange, but I assume it's going to be as soon as possible. I suggest you get moving."

"Oh, all right, I'm going!" Katherine told him. "Keep your pants on!"

"I intend to," Elijah smirked at her. She went into the bathroom and when Elijah heard the shower running, he came in too and shut the door behind him, sitting down on a stool in front of the bathtub to make sure that her shower was efficient and she wasn't dawdling on purpose.

This was quite a surprise for Katherine who, of course, didn't reach for a towel right away. She started for a second and then smiled. "Sorry I didn't notice you until my shower was over," she told him. "But if you wanted to have fun, why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because I didn't come in here to have fun," Elijah replied. "I came in here to watch you and make sure you showered in an efficient manner and didn't just dawdle for the fun of it."

"Well, of course you did," Katherine nodded. "How is it that you can even make _showers_ seem boring? It's quite a skill."

Not looking away, Elijah held a towel out to her. "Now take this and dry yourself off and then get dressed," he told her.

"Yes, I know," Katherine nodded. "Cause Sophie could be here at any time wanting her body back." So she dressed quickly and when Elijah had showered and dressed as well, he came to sit next to her in the living room and wait for Sophie.

* * *

To his surprise, she didn't appear right away, probably out of some feeling of kindness for what Katherine would be giving up once she did. But eventually, she arrived with Klaus and Caroline striding in the house behind her.

"We wanted to see this too," Caroline explained when Katherine asked why they'd come. "Just to make sure you actually did what you said you were gonna do."

"Oh, all right," Katherine sighed.

"Have you had a good day?" Sophie asked. "That's why I came as late as I did. I wanted you to have some good last hours with my body."

"Well, aren't you sweet?" Katherine said. "Weird, but sweet."

"Are we ready to do this?" Elijah asked, looking back and forth between Katherine and Sophie.

"I'm ready," Sophie nodded.

"I am too," Katherine replied and hitched her shoulders. "Let's do this before I lose my nerve and make a run for it."

Sophie stared at her for a moment, then took off at a run and disappeared into her body. There was a moment of scuffle as Katherine's soul made one last-ditch effort to stay right where it was, and then it was tossed out, and looking very perturbed.

"Well, she put up more of a fight than I thought she would," Katherine the ghost said as she rose up into the air.

"What do you mean that I put up more of a fight than you thought I would?" Sophie shouted when she got her bearings back. "Why did you think I wouldn't fight for my own body?" She then looked at Klaus. "Would you pinch me, please? I want to make sure this worked correctly."

"Of course it did!" Katherine cried. "I'm floating over your head, damn it!"

"I know the part about expelling you went right," Sophie told her. "But how well I settled into my own body is another matter entirely." She held out her arm to Klaus. "Pinch me!" She ordered.

He did so, and when Sophie felt the pain, she laughed. "Good," she said. "It seems to have worked." Then she looked up at Katherine. "Thank you for being such a good sport about all this," she said.

"Stop thanking me and being so gracious!" Katherine told her. "You say one more nice thing to me and you're gonna be a ghost again! Besides, why are you wasting your time here? Don't you have a guy waiting around to date you or something?"

"Oh, my god!" Sophie cried, her blue eyes wide as she reached up to smooth her short dark hair. "You're right, I do!" She rummaged around in her purse for the guy's number and then went to call him while Klaus and Caroline followed, leaving Elijah and Katherine alone.

"That went much smoother than I expected it to," Elijah told her. "Thank you."

"No problem," Katherine smiled. "It was a lot easier for me since I knew I was going to get my own body back soon, and to tell you the truth, I think I like that better anyway." She paused. "So…can I ask when you're gonna take me to see your warlock friend? I don't have to wait forever, do I?"

"No, you don't," Elijah promised. "I wouldn't do that to you."

* * *

A few nights later, Katherine followed Elijah and his warlock friend, whose name was John, out to the cemetery where she'd been buried.

"I haven't been in the ground for too long," Katherine told them. "But I bet I'll still look gross anyway."

"Probably," John agreed as he and Elijah took shovels and a tarp out of the trunk of his car. "Where did you say you were buried again? And it'll be your job to scare away anyone who tries to disturb us, all right?"

"Sure," Katherine nodded, grinning and rubbing her hands. "I think I can do that." When they had all the equipment in hand, Kathrine led them to her grave and watched in fascination as they both began digging.

"I wondered why you were dressed so casually," Katherine said to Elijah. "Now I know."

"Well, I wouldn't wear a suit to dig up a grave, would I?" Elijah asked her as he hefted another shovelful of dirt onto the ground beside the grave. "Besides, I promised I would dig if you were good with Sophie, and you were, so I'm sticking to my word."

With both John and Elijah digging, they quickly reached Katherine's vault and coffin. It took a little more time to get the vault open, but when they did and got the coffin out and open, Elijah let out a breath. "Oh, my god," he said.

"I know," Katherine replied as she eyed her own decaying body. "I look disgusting, don't I?"

"You won't for long," John told her. "Just situate yourself in it again and with a little magic, you'll be as good as new."

Looking at herself more, Katherine was highly skeptical, but a nod of encouragement from Elijah made her want to take the jump. Then, John did the magic and soon, Elijah was lifting a very alive Katherine out of her coffin and kissing her soundly.

"This is an interesting start to our relationship, isn't it?" She asked as they climbed out of her grave and John used his magic to fill it in again (he'd agreed to the digging in the first place because Elijah had told him about his promise to Katherine regarding seeing him dig.)

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "But it's not like that's anything new. When we first met, you were a ghost! That's pretty interesting too."

"Do you think our relationship now will be just as good?" Katherine asked.

"Yes," Elijah nodded and took her in his arms. "I think it will." He and Katherine thanked John then and they all made a run for the car because while they hadn't been found out yet, they knew their luck could only hold out for so long.

When they were on the road, Elijah said to John, "Do you still have that friend who is able to marry people?"

"Sure," John nodded. "Are you looking to get married? You just pulled her out of her grave! Maybe you should take time to get to know her first."

"Oh, we've done that," Katherine told him. "And since he seems to be able to handle me, he's just the kind of guy I want to marry."

"All right," John smiled. "Lucky for you two, he doesn't live far from here."

* * *

They reached the man's house and after dealing with the paperwork, he married them with John standing as the witness.

"Do you want to do your own vows?" the officiator asked them.

"Yes," Katherine nodded. "I do." She took Elijah's hands, looked into his eyes, and said, "You amaze me. I don't know if you're foolish or crazy, or what, but here we are, getting married, after all we've been through and all you've seen of me. I just hope you know what you're signing up for. And…this is hard for me to say, but…I think I love you."

"Well, that's good," Elijah replied. "Cause I wouldn't share my bed, my house, and my life with just anyone. You're very extraordinary, Katerina. I love you too." He then looked at John's friend. "May I kiss her now?"

"All right," the man said, muttering the rest of what he was supposed to say really fast until he reached the 'You may kiss the bride' part. Then he and John applauded as Elijah and Katherine kissed, exchanged rings that Elijah had found earlier in the attic of the castle and had kept for a long time, and were proclaimed officially married.

They then got in the car, picked up a cake from the store (with Elijah promising to get her a much nicer one on their honeymoon) and went home to eat it.

"When do you think we should call Klaus and Caroline and tell them what we did?" Katherine asked.

"How about we call them from the plane as we fly over the ocean?" Elijah asked. "Did you know I have a plane?"

"No," Katherine shook her head. "But I do now." She ate her cake and then, eager to see her sister's reaction to the news, called her up and demanded that she and Klaus come to their house right away.

"What is it?" Caroline asked breathlessly as she came running in a few minutes later with Klaus following along behind her. "What's going on?"

"I'm married!" Katherine crowed and held out her hand so the diamond ring was visible. "See?"

"When did you decide to do this?" Klaus asked his brother. "After you dug her up? Nothing says 'romance' like a cemetery."

"I think it was more the idea of us having a fresh start than us being in a cemetery that made me propose," Elijah replied.

"Where are you going on your honeymoon?" Caroline asked.

"That's a good question," Katherine replied. "I just know we have to take a plane to get there."

"Well, I'm happy for you," Caroline told her and gave her a hug. "I hope you finally get to be happy."

"I am," Katherine nodded. "And…I'm sorry for all the times I possessed you and tried to control your life and stuff like that."

"I accept your apology," Caroline told her and then went over to hug Klaus. "What's the use in dwelling on the past when our futures look pretty damn good?"

"I don't think there's any point at all," Katherine replied. "Want some cake?"

"Sure," Caroline said as she and Klaus sat down and Katherine cut them pieces. "Now that we finally have something to celebrate at long last, why not make the most of it?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Katherine agreed.

"Why don't I get drinks to go with this?" Klaus asked, standing up. "Champagne for everyone?"

"Sure," Katherine agreed. "Why not?"

Klaus and Elijah got the champagne; put it in glasses, and then Klaus held his up. "To Katherine and my brother," he said, "who found that you can find love in the most unexpected places."

"Cheers!" Caroline added. And as they clinked glasses, both the house and the future seemed brighter than they had in a long time.

 **The End**

 **Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and review. I really appreciate it. :)**


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